A Trip to Loch Ness
by quietthinker
Summary: When Cap'n Betty goes missing on Loch Ness, Jimmy and the gang decide it's up to them to find him. In what might be their strangest adventure yet, the five kids realize discover not only the truth about the Loch Ness Monster, but the true importance of their friendship.
1. Prologue

_ There is nothing more beautiful than a Loch Ness sunrise._

Few alive would doubt Betty Wilson's words. As the man stood there, staring out over miles and miles of open water, he couldn't stop the smile from spreading over his lips. Betty had sailed many rivers, lakes, lochs, and oceans in his fifty years, but the expanse before him would always be his favorite.

Betty's loving gaze and fond memories were interrupted by the screeching of a car behind him. Betty spun around and started walking across the tiny dock towards his new partner.

"So you know to call me every six hours on the dot?" the curly-haired woman in the driver's seat asked the teenager in the back.

"I'll call you when I can, mother," the young man said with a roll of his eyes.

"And you'll wear your life jacket at all times?"

"As much as it embarrasses me, yes momma, I'll wear it all the time."

The woman smiled and gave her son a hug just as Betty stopped in front of the car. He got a good look at the dame; she was just a few years younger than he but still a looker. He offered a pleasant smile, but she pulled back a slight after spotting his golden tooth. _Ay, why can't all the ladies appreciate the finer things in life?_ he thought in amusement.

"You must be Betty, the man in charge," she offered while releasing her son.

"Aye, I am," Betty agreed. "And don't worry, I'll take good care of your boy."

"See that you do," she sternly instructed. "I may not look like much, but I'm worth two of you in a fight."

"I don't doubt it," Betty said with another grin. This time the woman smiled back before wishing her son one last farewell and driving away.

Man and boy stared at each other after the car had turned around the road's bend. Alone on a tiny dock of Loch Ness, with only the occasionally whishing of the wind or lowly wave making noise, they felt like the only two people on Earth.

Betty studied the teen intently. Short and curly brown hair was covered with a fitting black beret. A baggy white jumpsuit covered whatever clothes the boy was wearing underneath. A tiny suitcase, looking as if it had been battered by dozens before the lad, was clutched in his right hand. Betty couldn't help but smile at the boy's expression; he seemed simultaneously ready for anything but frightened of everything.

"So, I guess I need to ask. How old are you?" Betty inquired with a crossing of his arms. The lad's boyish features were undeniable. "Because I'm not looking to violate any labor laws on this trip."

"I'm eighteen, sir," the teen steadily answered. "Birthday was last month."

"And your name? I must confess I've forgotten since I hired you."

"Timothy Murray."

Betty cracked a smile and held out his hand, which Timothy immediately shook. "Well, Timothy Murrary, I'm glad to have you aboard. Let's get your things loaded up. I don't think it'll take but a moment."

Timothy nodded, clutched his luggage tighter, and tried to follow Betty to his boat. The young man was caught aback when his boss refused to walk in front of him, instead Betty kept slowing his pace so the two might walk side by side.

"I assume that was your mother dropping you off?" Betty asked while they climbed aboard his ship.

"Aye, it was. She can be a handful," Timothy said with a nervous laugh, "but I love her."

"She certainly seemed a wee bit worried," Betty said with a chuckle of his own. "Let me guess, y'all are a slew of landlubbers?" Betty noticed Timothy slouch out of what he assumed was embarrassment. "Nothing matches the fear of a mother watching her boy touch water for the first time."

"We lost my father to the sea, actually," Timothy quietly remarked while staring down at the battered suitcase.

Nothing but gulls crying out filled the foggy air for a long moment.

"I'm truly sorry," Betty sincerely offered at last. He watched the lad exhale deeply and then turn away. "I…"

"You didn't know," Timothy said with a sigh while turning around. He plastered a weary smile on his face and then gave the boat a good look.

The craft was small, probably a thirty-footer. The bow held two small seats, one behind the steering controls. The small open stern left little room for fishing, but with only two people aboard Timothy supposed it would work. Down below was a tiny bathroom. Next to it was a the small dining area, which had a small booth and table. Next to that was a white counter with a sink and microwave. Aft to the kitchen was a single small bed. Rust adorned the side of the vessel, and Timothy thought without a hint of sarcasm that the craft was older than he was.

"What do you think?" Betty asked with a wide smile.

"It's…lovely," Timothy uttered with the slightest of sighs. "One bed, huh?"

Betty let out a deep belly laugh that was so pure in its joy Timothy couldn't help but share in it. "Don't worry lad, I'll take the booth. I don't think I'll be doing much sleeping on this trip." Timothy nodded in relief as Betty gave the dock one last look around.

"So," Betty went on, "you ready to set sail?"

Timothy gave a ready nod. "Absolutely, uh…mister…" Timothy let his voice trail off. His employer wasn't the only one forgetful of names.

Betty offered a friendly smile. "You can call me Cap'n Betty."

* * *

The sun was halfway up the sky as Timothy leaned his elbows against the port rails. He enjoyed the rhythmic churning of the ship's ancient engines and watching the steady stream of waves the craft left in its wake. Most of all, he loved closing his eyes and smelling the loch's air, pretending he was on the open sea his father had so often been.

"Timothy, would you head to the baitwell!" Cap'n Betty's shouting interrupted his thoughts.

Timothy shook his head hard to clear his mind and then hurried to the small compartment beneath the starboard rails. "What kind of bait do you want, Captain?"

"I think we'll aim for some pike. Grab the creek chub!"

Timothy nodded and scooped a half dozen of the tiny fish into a tiny container. He brought the bait forward as Betty cut the engines and grabbed two fishing rods. Timothy accepted a rod and they both slipped their bait onto their hooks. The duo stepped out out of the helm and walked aft side by side.

For a few moments the two fishermen stood silently at the stern of the ship with their rods in the water. At last, Timothy spoke up. "Captain, do you mind if I ask you a question? Actually, I've got a few."

"Fire away, boy-o."

Timothy cleared his throat and moved his line from side to side. "Why exactly did you hire me for this trip? You, uh, seem to know your way around a ship enough to handle this journey yourself. It's only a two-day outing. And it's not like you need a crew for a boat this size."

"Maybe I like the company," Betty answered. He suddenly felt a tug on his line and quickly pulled in his first catch. "Not bad, eh?"

"Not indeed," Timothy agreed as Betty tossed the wriggling fish into a bucket.

"That's one to zero. Best not let me get too far ahead," Betty playfully smirked while threading another chub onto his hook and casting his line.

"And the advertisement you put out," Timothy went on with his inquiries. "You said the applicant should have a thirst for adventure. Were you being poetic?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, not to degrade the fun we're having, but a two-day fishing trip isn't much of an adventure."

Betty's eyes sparkled with mischief as he answered. "We're on Loch Ness, boy-o. Don't you think any trip here has such potential?"

Timothy let out an uneasy laugh. "Don't tell me you believe in the monster."

"Have you lived here your whole life, Timothy?" Betty asked. The seriousness in his tone gave the boy pause.

"Aye," he eventually answered. "Born and raised in Drumnadrochit."

"I'm from Foyers myself," Betty countered.

Timothy couldn't help but chuckle. "Guess we have some of that east-west coast rivalry, eh?"

Betty smiled at the boy's pluck. "Aye indeed. But as I was saying, you can't be brought up along Loch Ness without feeling some of old Nessie's magic. There's something special about this place. And whether it's from a monster or not, you can't deny it exists."

Timothy stared out over the glistening blue water and nodded in understanding. "No. I guess you can't."

* * *

Timothy groaned while tossing the thin blanket to the side. His eyes popped open and he stared up at the roof two feet above his head. After blinking a few times he looked down at his pajamas and wearily sighed.

There was nothing Timothy hated more than sleeping fully clothed. He normally preferred the airy freedom a comfy pair of boxers brought, but that wasn't an option on this trip. Betty seemed harmless enough, but there was no way Timothy was sharing a berth with an eccentric old man in just his skivvies. So there he lay, covered and buttoned up, which made it impossible to get just the right temperature. The blanket on left him too warm and the cover tossed aside left him shaking in the wind.

"Just perfect," Timothy muttered while getting to his feet. He decided a glass of water might clear his head and let him drift off. As soon as his feet touched the floor, the boat snapped starboard. He lost his footing and crashed down.

"Captain?" Timothy cried out while rubbing his aching arse and rising up. No sooner had he steadied himself than the entire craft shifted port and sent him stumbling. This time he kept his balance and made his way above deck.

"Captain Betty?!" Timothy shouted as his eyes dilated in fright. The ship was shifting in every direction and the sound of angry waves was masking the engines.

"Timothy, you might want to keep that promise to your mother!" Betty's voice cried out.

Timothy spotted his life vest out of the corner of his eye and quickly put it on. "What the hell is going on?" It was hard to tell under just the moon and star light, but the loch's waters seemed to be coming alive around them.

"Grab the fish we caught and get over here!"

Timothy's jaw dropped at the insanity of this request, but the seriousness in Betty's tone left little room for argument. Timothy grabbed the nearby bucket of pike and wobbled across deck to the steering controls.

"Cap'n, what -"

"Hold the controls and keep us steady," Betty eagerly ordered while snatching the bucket from Timothy's trembling hands. Before Timothy could say a word Betty had dashed over to the port rails and chucked a fish into the water.

"Are you bloody mad?" Timothy screamed while grabbing the wheel.

Betty displayed a grin of pure ecstasy as the fish disappeared with a splash. "The water's going to be cold," he hurriedly said while snapping his gaze back to Timothy. The lad pulled back in shock at the joy in Betty's eyes and the tear falling down his cheek.

"Seriously, answer about the madness!" Timothy countered.

Betty shook his head and grabbed the bucket's handle tight. "It'll be a shock but you won't be in it long. Don't panic; the vest will keep you afloat and you'll be taken care of. It's time for that adventure, Tim."

"What in the -" that was all Timothy had time to say before the boat was knocked hard to port, sending him and Betty flying into the water.

Betty hadn't lied. In the dead of night, falling into Loch Ness was like being thrown into a pit of daggers. His brain shut down and he became still as a block of ice as the temperature overwhelmed him. Only spotting the battered suitcase racing by him snapped him back.

He forced himself to swim forward and desperately latched onto the luggage. They both floated to the top of the water and Timothy sucked in a lungful of precious air. "Betty!" he roared in fear and rage. "Cap'n Betty!"

What he saw next was beyond belief. A dark mass, larger than the boat it had sunk, barreled straight towards him. _Nessie_, Timothy struggled to think as his grip on the suitcase tightened. A lifetime of skepticism was shot in an instant. Before him was the Loch Ness monster.

The creature came closer, and as the dark mass seemed to splinter apart, Timothy's eyes somehow widened further in complete disbelief. As the creature e set upon him, all he could think was, _My fate is sealed._ And in spite of everything, that one thought sent a grin over his icy lips.


	2. Impetus to Sail

** Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep.**

The steady tapping of Judy Neutron's fingers against her son's door frame could barely be heard over his alarm clock's deafening beeping. She and Goddard shared a look, and Judy couldn't help but smile at the mechanical canine. Etched across both of their faces was utter disbelief.

Judy was more proud of her son than of anything. She knew he was a genius and beyond that was a good person. Yet there was one thing about him which she could neither approve of nor ever hope to understand. How in the world was it possible for him to be late for school nearly every day?

At first she had thought it was a form of laziness. Then she'd convinced herself it was simply apathy for showing up to classes which he already knew more than the teachers. Then she'd theorized he was staying up too late with his inventions. But now, watching him somehow slumber through a deafening alarm, she was worried that he had some sort of condition. Clearly, there was something pathological about anyone who could keep dreaming through this noise.

Judy considered waking him. She'd love nothing more than to help him avoid detention, but she had to face facts. Her boy genius was turning into a young man, and that meant giving him more responsibility. The toughest part of a parent's job is watching their children fail when you can help them. But she knew that it was necessary. So she and Goddard simply watched for another sixty seconds as the alarm kept blaring and Jimmy kept snoozing.

Mrs. Neutron couldn't help but crack a grin at how quickly Jimmy jumped into action once his eyes opened. In just an instant she watched the sleep fade from his eyes as he spotted the time. She knew what would come next and quietly mouthed the words as her son shouted them.

"Gas planets!"

Jimmy jumped out of bed and promptly fell onto the floor. "How does this keep happening?" he calmly asked while lying on the floor.

"I have no idea," Mrs. Neutron sadly muttered. "Hurry and you might just catch the bus," she said before turning around and heading downstairs. In spite of it all, she couldn't help but smile.

* * *

"And the town of Retroville is still stricken with sadness and confusion over Betty Wilson's disappearance."

The news playing on the kitchen television was barely noticed by Judy as she decided to throw her son a bone and pack him a lunch. She only had a few moments to scrape together a sandwich, but it was better than whatever abomination his school would offer. She let her gaze wander over to the screen just in time to see the crusty fisherman's photo appear.

"Known more prominently as Cap'n Betty, this beloved local icon disappeared three days ago on a fishing trip to Loch Ness. No one knows exactly what happened or why in the world this Texan went fishing halfway across the world. We here at Action Nine News fear these questions may never be answered."

"Thanks mom!" Jimmy's voice suddenly materialized by Judy's side. She glanced to her right to find Jimmy snatching the barely finished sandwich from her hands and running out the front door.

"We're talking about this later!" she warned.

"Looking forward to it!" Jimmy shouted back while closing the door behind him and activating his jetpack. He jumped off the porch just as the wings extended and immediately barreled down the street.

* * *

The double doors of Retroville Middle School burst open perfectly in sync with the bell signaling first period. Jimmy hung his head in defeat and tapped his jetpack's button. The dual wings retreated inside the sack as Jimmy sighed. "Of course," he muttered while dejectedly heading to math class.

To his surprise, he soon spotted Cindy dashing around a bend in the hallway. She spotted him out of the corner of her eye and slid to a stop.

"Late again, huh Neutron?" she said with a smirk.

"Not like you're one to talk," Jimmy shot back. "What's your excuse?"

"Stupid computer in the library wouldn't start up. You?"

"Overslept. Again." He cocked his head as they fell in stride. "What'd you need the computer for?"

Cindy hesitated but then held out the piece of paper in her hand. "I got caught up practicing for my tai-chi tournament last night. Kind of forgot about that paper we had due until," she offered Jimmy a smile, "well, about ten minutes ago."

Jimmy grinned back. "Normally I'd have a snide remark, but I can't say I blame you. Who ever heard of writing a paper for math class?"

"Glad I'm not the only one who finds this place crazy," Cindy agreed while motioning at the entirety of Retroville Middle School.

Jimmy's smile widened as he clutched his backpack's straps. Cindy stared straight ahead, so he risked a look at her swishing ponytail.

He had long ago gotten used to being a true friend of Cindy's, of course. You couldn't spend an entire school year saving the world and each other's lives on a daily basis without bonding. But for the past couple weeks, the two had seemed to be growing apart. He'd spent longer than he was willing to admit trying to figure out why this was. The rift between them had coincided with the new quarter and the switching of classes , but there was no clear explanation he could find.

At any rate, he was grateful for their walk together. "So you managed to write that thing in ten minutes? I'm actually impressed."

"Let's hope Mr. Turner shares your enthusiasm. I think I can admit this isn't my best work."

Jimmy instantly thought of a response but briefly weighed whether or not to say it. It didn't take long for him to realize that not only would it help bridge their relationship, but that it wouldn't even hurt him to speak the words. "Well, your worst beats the rest of the school's best."

They approached their class's door, but Cindy stopped a few steps short. Cindy scanned Jimmy's face but saw no signs of sarcasm or teasing. She realized he was being sincere and felt a twisting in her stomach. "Thanks, Jimmy," she quietly answered.

An awkward pause hung between them, and they both looked away at the same time.

"Well, guess we might as well bite the bullet," Jimmy offered while rubbing his arm. "Our detention won't grant itself."

"Guess you're right," Cindy said while grabbing the doorknob. With nothing else to say, they headed inside.

* * *

"No, you guys, I'm being totally serious," Sheen huffed while narrowing his eyes. Carl and Jimmy both shared a skeptical glance and rolled their eyes as they headed out of Spanish class. "I really think our art teacher is living inside the school."

Jimmy shook his head in fatigue. "Sheen, how many times do I have to explain this? Teachers don't live in the school. They're normal people like us outside of class."

"Oh James," Sheen pitifully uttered. "If only we could all see the world through those child-filtered glasses you wear."

"I thought he switched to contacts?" Carl questioned while leering closer to Jimmy and examining his face for any signs of spectacles.

"Please stop," Jimmy wearily asked his friends.

Carl suddenly stopped walking as the boys passed the bathroom. "We'll meet you in art, Jim. I've got to…well…you know."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Okay." He turned to Sheen and asked, "And you do too, Sheen?"

Sheen shook his head and stared at Carl in pride. "No, I'm teaching Carl how to use the urinal! He's really making great strides."

There were no words that Jimmy could say.

"I had a bad experience with them when I was younger," Carl explained as his eyes shifted to the ground. Years of pain clouded his features as his thumbs began to twiddle.

"That's alright, you don't have to share -" Jimmy began to protest.

"Back in kindergarten I thought a urinal cake was a kind of dessert," Carl whimpered while covering his eyes.

"Let the pain out," Sheen comfortingly whispered while placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Carl began to hyperventilate and tossed his hands into the air. "So I ate it and the teacher didn't even stop me. She just watched and laughed!" Carl's voice hit a fever pitch and cracked as the tears streamed down his face. Sheen immediately wrapped his friend in a comforting embrace and turned to James, who had long disappeared down the hall.

* * *

"Next year I really need to expand my circle of friends," Jimmy sighed with a shake of his head. He rounded a corner as the same time as Libby. The two shared a courteous nod but nothing else, and they silently traversed the rest of the journey a dozen strides apart.

Once inside art, Jimmy took his usual seat in the back row and set his backpack down. Sheen and Carl burst inside just as the bell rang and their less than accredited teacher, Ms. Wolf, rose from her chair. They hastily took their seats on either side of Jimmy as Ms. Wolf cleared her throat.

"Welcome to week three of art class," the haggard instructor began.

"Yay!" Sheen happily cheered.

"Those of you with more intelligence than Ultrafreak over there may be wondering why I am marking such an unimportant occasion with a speech."

"I can't believe she just said that," Libby muttered in disbelief while glancing over her shoulder. In the row behind her, Sheen sullenly sank back into his chair.

"I know," Cindy agreed in disgust. "She stole my nickname!"

An icy stare was Libby's only response.

"Blondie, Braids, cut the chatter!" Ms. Wolf snapped. "As I was saying, now that you've had two weeks to get accustomed to this class you will be starting your first project."

A wave of groans filled the class along with a plaintive, "Oh god why?!" from Sheen.

"Now for this project you will be sculpting whatever your heart desires," Ms. Wolf droned on. "Since this class is only one quarter long, this project will account for a third of your grade."

"That's too much pressure!" Carl cried while taking a puff from his inhaler.

"If any of you will let me finish," Ms. Wolf all but growled, "I was going to say that there is absolutely no pressure on any of you. That's because, and I cannot stress this enough, I don't care. I don't care what you make and I don't care if its good. Try to make a peacock and end up with a liger and that's fine by me."

"That's a weird example," Ike mumbled.

"As long as you hand in something," Ms. Wolf droned on, "you'll all get an A."

Jimmy's shoulder slumped as the rest of the class celebrated. Eventually he sheepishly raised a hand. "Um, Ms. Wolf? About us all getting an A? I really don't want to be that guy -"

"Then don't!" Nick angrily interrupted.

"But," Jimmy went on, "maybe it's not a great idea to give everyone the same grade when some of us work harder than others?"

"Yeah, Communist!" Sheen angrily shouted pointing an accusatory finger at the teacher.

"Sheen, shut up!" Libby anxiously whispered.

Ms. Wolf simply narrowed her eyes and glowered over her students in silence. "Anyway," she enunciated each syllable with pure hatred, "the projects are due by the end of next week or whenever. Get to work."

With no room left in her tone for argument, everyone heeded her instructions. Carl happily rose out of his chair and headed to the supply room. He came back dragging a giant tub of clay and gave each student an enormous clump.

Once Cindy had gotten hers she spun around in her seat and watched Jimmy stare intensely at his clay. "So, what are you going to make, Neutron? An atom? Or maybe dream a little bigger and do a whole molecule?"

Jimmy narrowed his eyes but didn't have a witty remark. "I'm not sure. You might not believe this," Jimmy began while staring at his four friends, "but I've come to admit that creativity isn't my strong suit."

"Really," Sheen, Carl, Libby, and Cindy deadpanned.

"Don't say that, James," Betty happily offered from the row ahead of Cindy and Libby. She offered him a warm smile, and Jimmy's frown immediately melted. "It's not like all those crazy inventions just come up with themselves."

"You know, I never thought of it that way!" Jimmy ecstatically remarked. "I guess I am really talented!"

Cindy watched in disgust as Betty and Jimmy stared at one another. Such abhorrence rapidly morphed into fury as Jimmy's proud smile morphed into that goofy grin she recognized all too well.

"Well I know what I'm making," Ike proudly proclaimed to anyone who would listen.

"Ashtray?" Nick asked.

"That's a negative," Ike said with a smile while rubbing his hands together and digging into his clay. "I'm making a tribute to a fallen warrior." Ike's tone fell as his hands stopped moving. "Retroville lost one of its best. I'm making a sculpture of Cap'n Betty."

The entire classroom fell silent at Ike's words save for Sheen and Jimmy. "Wait," Sheen shouted while slamming his hands onto the table, "Uncle Betty's dead?"

"Do you have to shout everything!" Ms. Wolf cried while rubbing her temple. "Some of us have hang -"

"He is not your uncle," Jimmy reminded Sheen before turning to Ike. "And wait, what happened to Cap'n Betty?"

"You seriously haven't heard?" Cindy asked James in disbelief. Jimmy shook his head, so Cindy explained. "He went on some fishing trip to Loch Ness last week and completely disappeared. They've scoured the whole loch but haven't a found a trace of him."

"It's really creepy," Libby added with a shudder.

"Of course they haven't found him," Nick said with a shake of his head. "Hard to find someone who got eaten."

"Come on, man," Ike said with a huff of disbelief. "Don't tell me you actually believe in the Loch Ness Monster."

"An accomplished sailor just happens to disappear on a routine fishing trip at mysterious Loch Ness?" Nick asked in disgust. "Of course I believe in the monster! Why else wouldn't they have found him?"

"The loch is hundreds of feet deep, Nick," Jimmy countered. "They can't have scoured the entire thing in just a few days."

"Wait, Uncle Captain Betty is really dead?" Sheen painfully asked.

"He's not dead, Estevez," Betty answered with a shake of her head. "He's just missing. I'm sure he's fine." She stared down at her lump of clay and frowned. "Anyone willing to spare some of their clay? I think I'm going to need some more for my unicorn's horn."

"You can have mind!" Jimmy happily offered while holding out half of his ration.

"Thanks," Betty sincerely said while strolling over and taking the clump. Jimmy couldn't help but smile wider as their fingers brushed together.

Cindy watched this exchange and then shot Jimmy a death glare. "So let me get this straight, Neutron," she began. "You're saying you don't believe in the Loch Ness Monster?"

"Of course not," Jimmy affirmed. "Don't tell me you do."

Cindy swiveled her gaze between Carl, Sheen, and Jimmy. "Didn't you three just discover a giant lake monster here in Retroville last year?"

Jimmy tugged on his collar. "Well…yes, but I doubt my dad is dumping radioactive lab waste in Scotland! Besides, Operation Deepscan essentially proved the monster was just lake debris fifteen years ago." Jimmy shook his head and added, "Come on, Cindy. You're smarter than believing in some magical legend."

Cindy's eyes narrowed to slits as her hands clenched into fists. "Oh thanks so much, Captain Jerk! The Loch Ness Monster is real and I can prove it!"

"Yeah! Go Team Nessie!" Sheen shouted with a pump of his fist. Carl and Nick nodded their heads in approval. Cindy turned her gaze to Libby, who nervously smiled.

"Don't you think they would have found a monster by now, Cindy?" Libby quietly asked. Cindy's eyes widened at this betrayal. "I mean, it only took six months for us to prove that Retroville's lake monster was real. Hasn't Nessie supposedly been around for like a hundred years?"

"Libby's right, Vortex," Betty chimed in. "The monster's just a myth. Cap'n Betty probably just got lost or something."

Jimmy and Betty shared a nod which caused Cindy to leap from her seat. "That's it! We are going to Loch Ness right now and proving the monster is real!" She hesitated a long moment and then quickly added, "And rescuing Cap'n Betty who is our dear friend!"

"Adventure time!" Sheen ecstatically screamed.

"If you do find him, you tell him that he's getting a hero's welcome back in Retroville," Ike solemnly instructed. Sheen placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and gave a promising nod.

"You really want to commit to this, Vortex?" Jimmy asked while crossing his arms. "We both know we're not going to find any monster."

"No we both do not know that!" Cindy snapped while leaning into Jimmy's face.

"Should we bother coming along?" Libby asked while motioning at Sheen and Carl before inspecting her nails. "Or are we just going to get tossed overboard while you two bond on an island again?"

Jimmy felt his cheeks brighten as he slumped down, but Cindy only snapped her furious gaze onto Libby. "You're all coming." She locked eyes with Sheen and Carl, who pulled back at her intensity. "Us three are proving Nessie's real."

"Go team Vortex?" Sheen nervously offered.

"Darn right," Cindy agreed with a nod.

"Fine," Jimmy agreed while getting his strength back. "I'll fly back to the lab and get the hover car and supplies. Then we're going to Scotland."

"So you all have just pretty much forgotten I'm right in front of you, huh?" Ms. Wolf lazily asked while leaning back in her seat and opening a romantica paperback. "Fine by me."

Cindy ignored her teacher and shook her head at James. "No. I'm going with you to your lab and making sure you bring the right stuff. I'm not traveling all the way to Scotland only for you to have 'forgotten' the sonar equipment."

"I wouldn't do that!" Jimmy snapped back.

"Oh wouldn't you?" Cindy mocked. "Call Goddard to pick us up; I'm not playing Superman and Lois Lane on your jetpack again."

"Wait, what?" Libby laughed in disbelief.

"Shut up!" Cindy growled. "And you!" she added while pointed at Betty, who looked up from her clay in annoyance. "You are going to be proven so wrong!"

"Okay," Betty said with a shrug. "As long as you find Cap'n Betty. That's what's important."

"He touched us all in so many ways," Ike moaned while resting his head on his desk and covering his eyes.

Sheen immediately tried to wrap Ike in a hug but was shoved away.

Jimmy tapped his watch and quickly heard Goddard barking on the other end. "Boy, come pick me and Cindy up at school. We're going to Loch Ness!"

Ms. Wolf let her gaze shift between Ike sobbing, Jimmy and Cindy sharing fuming looks, and Nick and Betty arguing over the existence of a cryptid species. "I hate my job," she quietly moaned.


	3. Across the Atlantic

Cindy painfully sighed once they reached the halfway point to Jimmy's house. It wasn't hard to realize that she and James hadn't shared a word the entire journey. The ride had hardly been silent, of course. The roaring of the wind in both of their ears had been painful, and Goddard had occasionally let out a yelp as she squeezed him too tight or he took a sharp turn. But the lack of any banter between her and Jimmy, whether playful or spiteful, was an anomaly she couldn't ignore.

Cindy glanced down at the mechanical canine she was riding and then risked a look to her right. Neutron was keeping perfect pace beside her on his jetpack. She drummed her fingers against Goddard's back, which earned a slightly contemptful huff from the creature. Then, Jimmy suddenly spoke.

"You didn't have to make Goddard fly to the school."

_Really? That's how you're going to start this adventure? _Cindy thought while clenching her jaw. "Oh, because he has such a busy schedule?" she snapped back. This earned another ruff from Goddard, but she just rolled her eyes.

"I'm just saying it'll be late afternoon by the time we get to Loch Ness. You'll need all the time you can get to prove that cryptid is real, and you wasted ten minutes of it waiting for Goddard to pick us up."

Cindy clamped her teeth down on the inside of her cheek. "What are you saying, Neutron?" she finally asked while shooting him a steely stare. "You wanted to fly to the lab in each other's arms?"

In spite of her mood, an incredibly brief half-smile crossed Cindy's lips as Jimmy reeled back in shock. She watched Neutron struggle to compose himself and consider how to answer the question.

"I just didn't want to waste Goddard's time," Jimmy finally shot back.

Normally that clear lie might have stirred something in Cindy, but not today. She simply curled one hand into a fist and stared straight ahead. Of course Jimmy Neutron would say that. Of course he would start the day by making her feel like she was worth something. _No_, she immediately admitted with a shake of her head. A simple sentence on the way to class had done more than that. It **had **made her feel like she was someone to be proud of, but it also had shown how sweet and kind Jimmy could truly be. How much he valued her and how much he'd changed since she first met him. It was moments like that which showed her that it would be so easy to become more than friends, and that she wasn't the only one who harbored such thoughts.

And it was also just like Jimmy Neutron to ruin everything by flirting with Betty. Cindy knew what Libby and Betty thought of her. That she was being immature and stupid; that she was acting like she had a claim on someone while simultaneously refusing to admit it. They were wrong.

Cindy was upset because both she and Jimmy had both started fifth grade, that magical year when everything began to change for the better, by having crushes on another. She had liked Nick and he had liked Betty. And while she had come to easily admit that Nick was nothing more than a passing crush, an immature fixation on a person's debonair good looks, Jimmy refused to do the same with Betty. Whereas Cindy all but admitted her true feeling to Jimmy, he kept on making her feel special one moment and then staring longingly at Betty the next. So no, she wouldn't ride to Jimmy's lab in his arms. She'd prove him wrong about the Loch Ness Monster and make him feel as dumb as she did for liking him.

* * *

"Air gum?" Cindy asked while staring down at the clipboard in her grasp.

"Got it," Jimmy shot back while tossing a few small boxes into his hypercube.

"Sonar?"

"Check," Jimmy answered while grabbing what looked like a large GPS unit with a probe attached.

Cindy tapped her pencil and stared around the lab's supply room.

"Anything else you want to bring?" Jimmy questioned. "Hypnobeam? Jimmy-bot? Cheese ray?"

Cindy was about to shake her head but ultimately hesitated. "Grab the hypnobeam in case we need to get access to a dock. And never mention that stupid cheese ray again."

Jimmy decided to let that last remark slide and simply nodded. He tossed the hypnobeam into the hypercube and made his way back to Cindy. "That's it, then," Jimmy summed up while glancing down at his watch. "If we hurry we can make it back rght as art ends. Ready?"

Cindy nodded and they both headed aboveground. They were about to hop in the hover car when Cindy's stomach growled loud enough for both to hear. "Hungry?" Jimmy asked.

"Obviously," Cindy shot back. "We're not wasting time at school to eat lunch. I'll grab something in Scotland."

"Sure you'll love the haggis," Jimmy offered which earned a disgusted groan from Cindy. He huffed in amusement while starting the hover car and heading back to Retroville Middle School.

* * *

The hover car was parked quite conspicuously in the school's parking lot while Jimmy and Cindy waited for their friends to sneak out. Jimmy cast another glance at his watch while sitting behind the driver's seat. Cindy had settled for lying down on the curved couch in back.

"They shouldn't be taking so long," Jimmy said while staring down at his watch. "I called them five minutes ago."

"Hey Neutron," Cindy spoke up while shifting her gaze from the sky to the boy genius, "let me see that air gum."

Jimmy eyes her curiously but dug it out of the hypercube. "Why?" he asked while tossing it to her.

Cindy caught it easily and examined the invention. A simple box labeled **Neutron Air Gum** housed a dozen cubes of the pink treat. She took out one piece and sniffed it. "How does it work?" she asked before replacing the box's contents.

Jimmy considered this before turning back around and smiling. "You know I keep waiting for you to ask how this stuff works. You never do."

A different tone might have elicited an angrier response from Cindy, but Jimmy's remark seemed harmless enough. She simply shrugged and started tossing the box up and down. "Guess you just kind of assume its all magic after a while," she deadpanned.

Jimmy rolled his eyes and explained. "It's composed of hyper-concentrated oxygen molecules chemically altered to have an increased propensity for binding hemoglobin."

Cindy considered this. "Sheen said you guys could talk fine underwater, though. What about the liquid going in your lungs?" An awkward look passed over Jimmy's face. "What?"

"You honestly might not want to know about that."

"Try me."

"There's no way to prevent the water from entering the lungs," Jimmy slowly began. "The only way to keep you from drowning is to hasten its elimination from the body."

Cindy's mouth began to curl in disgust. "So you mean?"

"It's an incredibly potent diuretic," Jimmy confirmed Cindy's worst fears.

"That's disgusting!" Cindy shot back while tossing the gum at his chest. "No way I'm taking this."

"It only affects you if you take in water," Jimmy couldn't stifle a chuckle at Cindy's outburst. "If you keep your mouth closed underwater then you'll be fine."

"Yeah, I don't think I'm ever opening my mouth around you again," Cindy said with a shake of her head. She smiled in disbelief and added, "Freak."

The double doors of the school's main entrance blasted open. Carl and Cindy immediately stared watched in frightened disbelief as Sheen sprinted down the hallway and dove outside. He skidded across the ground and shouted back into the school.

"Keep in arrow formation! Go, go, go!"

Cindy and Jimmy shared a confused glance before Libby and Carl lackadaisically strolled into the parking lot. "Again, Sheen," Libby said with a sigh, "no one seems to care. We're in the clear."

"How can you make an arrow with two people?" Carl asked while struggling to carry Jimmy and Cindy's backpacks in his arms.

Sheen rolled his eyes while dashing towards the hover car and vaulting inside. "You can't with that attitude," he disgustedly told Carl. Sheen turned to Cindy who simply glared back at him. "Do you really think we should let him on Team Vortex?"

"Enough with the teams," Libby pleaded while joining her boyfriend and Cindy on the couch. "Let's just get to Scotland." She smiled, pulled out her phone, and handed it to Cindy. "It really does look beautiful."

Cindy grabbed the device and stared at an aerial picture of Loch Ness. An enormous blue body of water was surrounded by stunning green plains, forests, and mountains. Cindy grinned and immediately agreed. "That is something."

Jimmy gunned the hover car's engine as soon as Carl had joined him in the front passenger seat. The craft rose off of the ground and rocketed forward. "Let's get started, then."

Carl spun his chair around and handed Cindy her backpack. "Here, Cindy," he said with a cautious smile. "You left it in Ms. Wolf's class."

"Thanks, Carl," she kindly responded. The chubby boy lit up at her tone. "So," she went on while glancing between Carl, Sheen, and Libby, "we miss anything important in art?"

Libby chuckled while settling into her seat and placing her headphones on. "Just Ms. Wolf screaming at Ike to stop crying."

"Butch called her an emotional bully!" Sheen piped in. "It was pretty awesome."

"Those are the worst kinds," Carl moaned with a shudder.

"That lady is crazy," Cindy said with a shake of her head. She turned to Jimmy who was activating the autopilot and rummaging through his backpack.

"Yeah, I thought Ms. Fowl was weird," Jimmy piped in. "But I feel like Ms. Wolf needs actual therapy."

Carl reached into his own backpack and pulled out his lunch while smiling at Ms. Fowl's name. "I miss Ms. Fowl," he admitted. "Sometimes, in just the right light, I thought -"

"I miss her too," Libby thankfully interrupted. She sighed and then slipped her headphones around her neck. "Isn't it crazy that we'll never see her again?"

"We'll see her," Cindy shot back. "Retroville isn't a huge place."

"Cindy's right," Jimmy agreed while pulling the sandwich his mom made out of his backpack. He immediately handed it to Cindy. "We'll see her around."

Cindy stared at the sandwich. "Do you have something else to eat?"

"I'll have something in Scotland," he offered with a smile.

Cindy closed her eyes and accepted the gift. "Thanks," she quietly but sincerely told him.

"You guys know what I mean," Libby said with a shake of her head. "Yeah we might run into her at the Candy Bar or grocery store, but we're never going to get another homework assignment from her." Libby's voice dropped as her mind raced. "Or run around the track with Coach Gruber yelling at us."

"Oh, or get sent to Principal Willoughby's office!" Sheen excitedly added. He smiled at the group for a few seconds before he felt his lips droop. "Huh," he quietly whispered.

"We'll never have more of Hilgo's pancakes," Carl wistfully chimed in.

Libby chewed her bottom lip before crossing her arms. "We'll probably never have a full day of classes together again."

More than any other, that thought froze the group. "That's crazy," Jimmy protested, but it wasn't hard to hear the skepticism of his own words. "We have six more years of school after this! We're bound to all have the same classes at some point."

"Really?" Libby asked. "You and Cindy are already taking honors classes. I might move up to those next year, do you think Sheen or Carl ever will?"

"That was uncalled for," Carl moaned.

"Well, I'm sure we'll always have something together," Cindy offered. "Like art this year."

Sheen gasped in disbelief. "You want to have a class with me, Cindy?" Cindy's face fell as Sheen wiped a tear from his eye. "I always knew we had something spec -"

"Shut up!" Cindy warned.

The rest of the group laughed. Jimmy happily watched as Cindy raised a fist but ultimately dropped it and shook her head. The rest of the gang dug into their lunches, and Jimmy happily leaned back.

* * *

A strong and steady **beeping** interrupted the gang's laughter. Jimmy immediately spun his chair around and studied the hover car's controls closely.

"What is it?" Cindy asked while standing up and poking her head in between Jimmy and Carl.

"We're not going to crash again, are we?" Libby moaned.

"Not quite," Jimmy said with a confident smile. "Welcome to Scotland, everyone. I'm taking us down."

Everyone took their seats and grabbed onto something as Jimmy landed the craft. They all eagerly looked over the side of the hover car and watched as impossibly green grass and quaint buildings loomed up to meet them. The gang settled down in the middle of a small parking lot behind a grey stone building.

Jimmy led his friends onto the cement and across the lot. "According to Cindy, this is the town Cap'n Betty was last seen in."

"So we're in Fort Augustus?" Cindy asked.

"Correct," Jimmy confirmed. He checked his watch and sighed. "We made great time across the Atlantic, but Scotland is six hours ahead of us." The entire group followed Jimmy's gaze as he stared up at the setting sun. Jimmy then turned to Cindy and gave an approving nod. "It was a good idea to bring those searchlights."

"Should we maybe wait until morning?" Carl nervously asked while darting his eyes around. "Hunting a monster in the dark doesn't sound very safe."

"Cap'n Betty's already been lost three days," Jimmy answered. "Monster or not, he needs help."

"Besides, the sooner we get back the less trouble we'll be in," Libby chimed in. "I say we get this started."

The gang stopped in front of the building's main entrance. Cindy leaned forward and read its sign out loud. "The Heart o' the Loch." She peered through the glass windows and spotted a large bar inside. "Seems like Cap'n Betty's kind of place."

"Let's ask around and see if anyone saw him," Jimmy instructed while leading the group inside.

A welcoming bell rang out as Jimmy opened the door. A half dozen wooden tables were strewn about the tiny establishment. Only one was occupied; most of the patrons were seated at the bar. Cindy pointed at an employee who seemed about their age. The young man had short blonde hair covering the top of his forehead, wore an apron with a picture of The Loch Ness Monster, and was busy wiping down a table.

"Welcome to The Heart o' the Loch," he hurriedly said without looking up. "Seat yerself and I'll be right with ya."

Jimmy and his friends stared at one another before shrugging. They took the table nearest the waiter. It only took a moment for him to eye them curiously and walk up. "You all don't look like locals. From around these parts?"

"We're from the U.S.," Sheen proudly stated.

The waiter smiled nervously. "I don't want to bear down on ya, but it can be a wee bit dangerous for you foreigners out on your own. Where are your parents?"

Libby eyed the waiter's young features and shook her head. "Jeez. You turn thirteen and you think you're an adult."

"I'm fourteen, actually," the waiter snapped back. "And like I said, I'm not trying to be rude. It's just there are chancers around here looking to swindle naïve tourists."

"Naïve?" Cindy asked with a harsh laugh.

"Our parents aren't here," Jimmy quickly butted in. "We actually just had some questions about -"

"Aye, right," the waiter laughed. "I suppose you just flew across the Atlantic on your own, then?"

"Yeah, we did," Cindy growled while pointing out a window at the hover car. "On that."

The teen followed looked at the glass and cocked his head at the machine. "That's," he hesitated a long moment while scrunching his face, "a nice…toy? Or strange boat? But I doubt you flew across the ocean on it."

Jimmy glanced out at the setting sun and then pulled his hypercube out. "Yeah, we did," he uttered while tossing the waiter his invention. The teen eyed the cube strangely while turning it over. "Just like that we stored all of our stuff inside that hypercube."

"I highly doubt -"

"Press the red button," Jimmy interrupted while pointing to the small button the side.

"Fine," the waiter agreed while tapping the button. Jimmy's sonar equipment immediately flew out of the device and landed on the table. The waiter dropped the cube to the floor and staggered backwards.

"What the bloody hell was that?"

"It's my hypercube," Jimmy explained. "I invent things. Now like I was saying, we really need -"

"Bloody hell that's fantastic!" the teen said with a laugh. He turned the hypercube over in his hands and then stared at the group before him. They all met his gaze and watched as he pulled a chair from a nearby table and took a seat between Cindy and Jimmy. "Who are you all?

"The name's Sheen!" Sheen happily said while stretching out his hand. The teen quickly set the hypercube down and shook Sheen's hand.

"I'm Carl."

"Libby."

"Cindy."

"And I'm Jimmy Neutron," Jimmy said a little too proudly.

"And we're the super friends!" Sheen excitedly shouted while raising a finger in the air. Everyone stared at him curiously as he slumped back in his seat. "What? I thought we agreed needed a cool name?"

"We never even discussed that," Cindy wearily complained.

The waiter took one more look around the table. "Well I've got no problem saying you're the most interesting foreigners I've ever met. The name's Daniel McQuinn."

"Nice to meet you, Daniel," Jimmy quickly uttered. "But like I keep trying to say, we're here to find a missing friend of ours."

"And to prove the existence of the Loch Ness Monster," Cindy gently added.

"Possibly," Jimmy said with a roll of his eyes. He stared hard at Daniel and asked, "Have you seen an old man called Cap'n Betty?"

Recognition instantly flitted across Daniel's eyes. "Wait just a tic," he said while leaning forward. "You all are talking about that missing fisherman?"

"You do know him!" Libby happily exclaimed.

"Aye, it's all anyone here in town can talk about. You all are his friends?" The group nodded, so Daniel rose from his chair. "I'm sorry I held you all up with my questions. Let me get us some pints and haggis and I'll tell you all I know." Before Jimmy or Cindy could respond Daniel had headed for the kitchen.

* * *

"Here we all are," Daniel said while passing out five glasses of frothing brown liquid. The kids accepted the drinks but stared at them nervously. Before sitting down Daniel set a plate of lumpy light brown meat in between them all.

"It's all on the house," Daniel assured while grabbing his own glass and taking a small sip. "Me dad does own the place after all." He stared at the kids' nervous expressions and offered a small laugh. "Dinnae worry, it's just fizzy drink."

"Huh?" Jimmy asked.

Sheen took a large sip and smiled widely. "It's root beer!"

"Oh," Carl said in relief while everyone else took an inquisitive taste. They then all stared at the plate before them.

"Aye, the haggis can look like boke, but it sure doesn't taste it."

"Thanks," Jimmy slowly said while averting his eyes from the questionable dish, "but what were you going to tell us about Captain Betty?"

Daniel set down his glass and offered a sorrowful sigh. "Hard to forget a face like that," he began with a shake of his head. "He strolled in here four nights ago, saying he was visiting from the States. We got to chattin' and he told me he came back to Loch Ness to visit an old friend."

"Did he say who that was?" Libby questioned.

"No, I'm afraid not. He just said they going to meet out on the Loch." Daniel looked into Cindy's eyes and shook his head. "I assumed they were going on a fishing trip, but there was only one other person with him on the Loch when he went missing. A lad named Timothy from Drumnadrochit."

Carl awkwardly poked the haggis and tentatively licked his fork. "Where?"

"Drumnadrochit," Daniel repeated. "It's near the other end of the loch, on the western shore. Anyway, that Timothy fellow was just a few years older than I. Probably not the friend the man was talking of."

"Is Timothy missing too?" Cindy asked. "Or can we talk to him?"

"I'm afraid he's gone as well," Daniel sadly confirmed. "He's how your friend was discovered missing. Apparently Tim's mum called the police when their boat never came back."

"Do you have any idea where on the Loch the ship went missing?" Jimmy asked.

Daniel leaned back in his chair and looked at the floor. "I'm sorry but ah dinnae ken. We still haven't found their ship; it probably sunk. And they could have been anywhere on the loch when they went missing."

Carl took another forkful of the haggis. "This is pretty good. What's in it?"

Jimmy shook his head. "Carl, it has -"

"Just meat," Cindy interrupted. Carl happily nodded and resumed eating while Jimmy shot her an angry look. "I am not watching him barf it back up when he learns its sheep heart," she whispered.

"Oh god," Libby moaned while covering her mouth and looking away from the mound of flesh before her.

"Anyway," Daniel interrupted, "I'm sorry I can't be more help. Truth is we're all a bit flummoxed as to what happened." He took another swig from his glass and then smiled at Cindy, who stared at him curiously. "If ye don't mind me askin', what do you plan on doing to find him? If he's been gone this long," he let his voice trail off and painfully swallowed, "well, I'm sure you know he probably drowned." Sheen's face fell, but Libby was quick to place a hand on his shoulder.

"We have sonar and other equipment," Jimmy quickly answered. Daniel finally switched his gaze away from Cindy and stared into Jimmy's narrowed eyes. "And we think he's alive."

"If we can find the monster, he can lead us to Betty!" Carl confidently added.

Daniel chuckled and set down his drink. "Nessie's a lass, mate. And don't tell me y'all believe in her?"

"I do," Cindy strongly answered.

"As do I!" Daniel immediately shot back with a wide smile. "I mean, anything's possible, right?"

Jimmy and Libby shared a curious glance as Cindy smiled at Daniel.

"Look," Daniel went on, "if you really want to find your friend, I've got a mate of me own who works at the docks. Her name's Erin and she might be willin' to lend you her boat."

"We appreciate it," Jimmy icily replied, "but the hover car works fine on water."

Daniel nodded and finished his soda. "Well, I reckon you all know best about your own craft." He cocked his head as Carl shoved the last bites of haggis into his mouth and then rose from his chair. "It'll be black as the Earl of Hell's Waistcoat soon, so I won't keep you any longer. If you find that fisherman, tell him his next round's on the house."

Everyone else rose from their seats and nodded at Daniel. "Thanks for telling us what you know about Betty," Jimmy cordially said with a nod before heading towards the door.

"And for the drinks!" Libby added with a wide smile.

Everyone followed Jimmy out, but Daniel grabbed Cindy's arm. She turned to face him as he pulled his hand back as though he'd been shocked. "Ah, Cindy, was it?" he nervously asked. She nodded, so he offered a smile. "Just be careful out there. The loch's usually pretty tame, but the waves can get a wee bit high."

Cindy smiled back. "Thanks. We'll be careful."

Daniel nodded and watched as she followed her friends outside. "Best o' luck! And haste ye back!"


	4. Doubt Erased

Jimmy tapped his foot impatiently while scanning the pub's parking lot. There was nothing of interest other than Carl and Sheen having a feverish discussion about whether or not Llamaboy would be any help in quelling Nessie's wrath. Jimmy eventually settled his gaze on his hypercube, which was sitting quietly on the cement a few meters away. Just as James was about to glance down at his watch, Cindy and Libby burst out of the device and stood before him.

"Took you long enough," Jimmy said while stepping forward and scooping up his invention.

"Well it would have gone quicker if you'd just let us change in that restaurant's bathroom," Cindy shot back with a shake of her head.

Jimmy cast a sideways glance through the pub's windows and watched Daniel scrub down their table. "You heard the waiter. There are dangerous people around here. Better to stick to the safety of the hypercube."

Libby huffed and adjusted her shirt while heading past Jimmy to the hovercar. "Besides, we wouldn't want Cindy to bother Daniel again, would we?" she impatiently whispered while passing James by.

Everyone fell in stride behind Libby as Sheen piped up. "You know, I always forget you can go inside the hypercube."

"I know!" Carl excitedly agreed. "Why don't we do it more often?"

"You really think we would," Sheen added with a nod.

"Alright, we're finally set," Jimmy said while staring at their ride. Four spotlights had been attached to the hover car's siding. The result had made Jimmy's vehicle nigh unrecognizable, but it would provide clear illumination on the loch. "We'll be able to see and we've got all our bathing suits on under our clothes in case we need to go in the water."

Jimmy hopped onboard and Cindy joined him in the front passenger seat. "We'll all need to take our air gum in case we fall overboard," Jimmy went on while passing around the box Cindy had examined earlier. Cindy eyed it with disgust but ultimately followed his instructions. "And Cindy and I will manage the sonar."

Jimmy glanced behind him, made sure that everyone was seated, and then started driving the hover car towards the loch.

"What should we do?" Libby asked from the backseat while popping a piece of air gum into her mouth.

Cindy reached into the hypercube and handed Libby a pair of binoculars. "Libs, take the night vision binoculars and scan the shore. Keep an eye out for any sign of Cap'n Betty. Maybe he's stranded and built a fire or something."

Jimmy nodded as he guided the hover car over a grassy field and approached Loch Ness. He parked the craft mid-air for just a moment and faced his friends one last time. "Carl, Sheen, you know the routine from when we were on Lake Retroville. Cindy and Libby, we're going to search the lock in a grid pattern. We move east to west in a straight line, move north a bit, then head back west to east. We keep doing that over the entire loch until we've scanned the whole thing."

"How long is this going to take?" Libby asked.

Carl eagerly nodded. "It's already dark and I have to make a soufflé for cooking tomorrow!"

"What?!" Sheen cried out while raising his hands in defeat. "I thought we were making Crêpe Suzettes. I already bought the tangerines!"

"It's barely noon in Retroville," Jimmy quickly answered. "If we move as fast the sonar can scan, we should be done in about six hours. We'll be home before dark."

"Let's get started, then," Cindy said while staring out at the enormous bod of water before them. "We've got a lot of work to do."

"Agreed," Jimmy said while moving the hover car off the shore and over the water. He hung the sonar's probe over the hover car's edge and flicked a switch on the device. "Starting scan of grid one."

* * *

"Ending scan of grid 337," Jimmy mumbled as his head fell back and he fought off unconsciousness. "No sign of Cap'n Betty or -"

"We get it!" Sheen screeched out. The high-pitched shriek snapped Carl awake and sent him falling onto the hover car's floor. "Just tell us if we find something!"

Libby's eyes twitched as she stood up and cracked her back. "How many more grids are there?"

Cindy scanned the sonar's screen and sighed. "421."

"We're not even halfway done?!" Libby roared.

Sheen gripped his head and struggled to fight off sea madness. "This is the most boring adventure ever!"

"I never said it would be exciting," Jimmy snapped back. "But it will be worth it when we prove once and for all that the Loch Ness Monster isn't real."

"Or when we prove she is real," Cindy said through clenched teeth.

"Or when we find Cap'n Betty?" Libby angrily said while shoving her head between her two friends. "That's what's really important, isn't it?"

"Yeah, are we looking for the monster or Cap'n Betty? I don't understand why we're out here," Carl admitted.

"We seem to keep waffling back and forth," Sheen calmly added.

"Let's just stay focused," Jimmy told the group while lurching the hover car forward.

"Focused on Betty or the monster?" Carl asked.

"On both!" Cindy shouted.

"Starting scan 338," Jimmy grumbled.

Sheen felt the veins popping out of his neck and his eyes widening as he stared ahead at the next identical patch of water. "I can't take it anymore! I'll find Nessie myself!"

He reached to his side and snatched the binoculars out of Libby's hand. "Hey!" she snapped as Sheen brought them to his eyes.

"Thar she blows!" Sheen eagerly said while pointing at a small cluster of waves a few dozen meters away.

"No way," Cindy said while snatching the binoculars. "Huh," she mumbled while licking her lips. "Maybe it is something. Jimmy, bring us over there."

"This is ridiculous," Jimmy protested but shifted the hover car towards the waves. "It's probably just a school of fish."

"No it's not because I'm bored!" Sheen cried out while hopping on one foot and pulling off his pants. Cindy immediately averted her eyes. "I'm going in after her!"

"He's got ocean madness!" Carl nervously cried.

"Sheen," Libby somewhat calmly said while her boyfriend ripped off his shirt, "even if you do see Nessie, do you really think it's a good idea to dive in after her?"

Jimmy kept his gaze on the water as he settled the hover car over the center of the waves. He peered over the ship's edge and raised an eyebrow at the churning water. "Libby's right, Sheen." He grabbed the sonar device and went on, "Let me get a solid sonar reading before we -"

"Adventure time!" Sheen happily shouted while jumping gracelessly overboard. He immediately flopped on the water's surface and watched his friends stare at him in horror. Fear suddenly filled his veins as he found it nearly impossible to keep his head above water. "I can't swim!" he suddenly remembered.

"Then why'd you jump?" Carl cried out in terror.

Libby seamlessly stripped down to her bathing suit, earning her a curious look from Jimmy. A quick punch to the arm from Cindy caused him to turn away as Libby jumped into the over the hover car's edge and gracefully plunged beneath the crystal blue water.

Carl, Cindy, and Jimmy watched in terror as they disappeared under the water for a split second. Then Libby reemerged with Sheen's neck hooked around her elbow.

"Awesome!" Sheen happily cried out while Cindy and Carl yanked him back on board.

* * *

"So we all understand the new rule," Jimmy slowly explained to his friends, although his gaze was locked angrily on Sheen.

"We…don't…go…in the water," Sheen struggled to say through chattering teeth.

"That's right," Jimmy said before turning around and grabbing the steering wheel. "Because I do not have the supplies to treat hypothermia."

Cindy put her arm around a freezing Libby's shoulder as her friend's teeth **clacked** loudly. "Can we please go home?" she quietly asked.

"Really soon," Cindy warmly and gently told her friend. "As soon as Neutron admits Nessie is real."

Libby gave Cindy a death glare while shivering.

* * *

"Grid 413 is neg -"

"Neutron," Cindy seethed.

"Right," Jimmy quickly apologized. "Sorry."

Everyone let out a collective sigh as Cindy turned around and stared at Libby. Her friend had mostly recovered and was staring back out at the coast with the binoculars. "Anything?" Cindy asked.

Libby shook her head and adjusted the focus. "Not Betty, but I can see a town or something near the shore."

Carl studied the map of Loch Ness he'd taken from The Heart o' the Loch and studied it intensely. "Is it Foyers?"

"I don't know," Libby answered with a shrug.

"Let me see," Cindy said while gently taking the map from Carl. She stared down at it and then at the sonar screen. "If it is then we're about halfway through the loch."

"And still no sign of the elusive monster," Jimmy quickly added. "Ready to admit defeat, Vortex?"

Cindy narrowed her eyes and thrust the map back against Carl's chest. "Neutron, even if all the scans come up negative, it doesn't prove anything."

"What?" Jimmy asked in disbelief.

"The monster's not just going to sit in one place," Cindy explained. "It could have moved back into a grid we already scanned."

"Cindy," Libby pleaded while dropping the binoculars onto the seat beside her, "please just admit the monster's a myth."

"Libby's right," Jimmy quickly agreed. "I'll give you until the end of the scans, but we're done after that. That's what we agreed."

"I wasn't saying we should scan the whole loch again!" Cindy angrily protested while switching gazes between Jimmy and Libby. "I was just saying you can't prove the monster isn't real!"

Carl stared at his arguing friends and then picked up the binoculars. He stared out at Foyers, glanced away in pain, and then adjusted the focus because of his glasses.

"What is it with you two anyway?" Cindy angrily asked Libby and Jimmy. "Since when do you two team up?"

"We're not teaming up!" Libby shouted back.

"Not as good as us, anyway!" Sheen shouted while pointing at him, Cindy, and Carl.

"You believed in Retroville's monster!" Cindy snapped at Libby. "Why not Loch Ness' ?"

"How is this a big deal?" Libby desperately cried out. "So I don't believe in Nessie!"

Carl studied the sparsely lit town and smiled at its quaint charm. His eyes shifted towards the dock and then watched a few small waves swirl about.

Jimmy parked the hover car a few feet above the water and faced Cindy. "Cindy, people have been searching for this thing for a hundred years. The most logical explanation for this _monster_," Jimmy spoke the word with clear disdain, "is an extinct plesiosaur that somehow survived in a tiny loch for millions of years without being discovered."

"We've found more ridiculous things!" Cindy shot back. "We've discovered aliens, talking babies, and some sort of weird monkey secret agents!"

Jimmy shook his head and stared pleadingly at Cindy. "Why are you fighting so hard for this?"

Libby watched as Cindy's expression somehow soured further and then stared pityingly at Jimmy. "Neutron, how do you not -"

"Libby!" Cindy shrieked while staring maddeningly at her friend. "Don't you dare!" She let out a deep breath and then added, "And you should know why I needed you to have my back on this."

"Don't you dare what?" Jimmy desperately asked. "What is this all about?"

To Carl, his friends' voices had long ago faded as he watched the waves grow in size and strength. They'd begun heading away from the shore and out into the open water. "Jim?" he nervously squeaked. Sheen was the only one to hear him and stared at his friend. Carl shakily passed the binoculars over.

Cindy could feel the sweat dampening her brow in spite of the chilly night air. She wiped it away and stared painfully right into Jimmy's eyes. For just a second, the chaos around them and her three other friends managed to disappear. For that one moment, it was just her and Jimmy on the open water.

"How do you not get it?" she said with a sorrowful laugh. "How are you this stupid?"

Jimmy couldn't get angry, not when Cindy sounded so hurt. He took a step towards her and then fell over as the hover car lurched to the side.

"Guys!" Sheen screamed while steadying Carl. The two boys were the only ones who kept their footing. Libby, Cindy, and Jimmy all stared at him. "I promise I won't jump in this time, but I think we found the monster."

Cindy and Jimmy stared at each other before rushing to their feet. Jimmy grabbed the sonar as Cindy adjusted the spotlights. Libby, Sheen, and Carl peered over the hover car's siding and watched the water swirl around them.

"A thirty-meter moving mass," Jimmy mumbled in disbelief. "That's not possible."

Cindy smiled in amazement at the churning water and offered an ecstatic smile to Carl and Sheen. "We did it!"

"What do we do now?" Libby quickly questioned.

Cindy and Jimmy stared at each other at the same time. Both of their faces fell. "Um," Cindy began.

Jimmy nervously tugged his collar. "I don't think we exactly planned -"

A haggard cry filled the air as the dark mass erupted from the water. From directly beneath the hover car it slammed into the center of the vehicle and sent it spinning wildly.

"Jimmy?" Libby cried out while grabbing a hold of her seat.

"Getting us out of here!" Jimmy quickly shot back while reaching for the controls. He activated the engine and was about to push the hover car forward when another ear-splitting cry rang out. A shudder directly underneath Jimmy's feet sent the vehicle flipping over and the children into the water.

Jimmy immediately realized Sheen and Libby hadn't exaggerated the cold. He gasped in shock and felt a mouthful of water slide down his throat. His pupils dilated as he began to panic, but he forced his mind to stay calm. _You won't drown_, Jimmy forced himself to focus on those words as he sank downwards. _You can still breathe._

Jimmy's entire body convulsed as the icy liquid surrounded him. He shifted his gaze up and watched as his four friends sank around him. "Up!" he hoarsely roared while pointing towards the surface. Everyone struggled to follow his instructions as he used all his strength to swim through the churning water.

"Gah-huh!" Jimmy cried as his head broke free of the waves. Beams of light washed over him and cut through the dark air as the hover car was tossed around.

"Libby!" Cindy's cracking voice rang out from a few meters away.

"I'm…okay!" Libby shouted back from the other side of the hover car.

"Get," Jimmy hesitated as his teeth kept slamming together, "to the hovercar!" He swam the short distance and flung his arms onto the bottom of the craft, which was drifting upside down. Cindy reached the vehicle next and grabbed its underside with all the strength she had.

"You…okay?" she whispered through clattering teeth.

Jimmy forced himself to nod and tried to stop the spasms in his arms. "C-C-Carl! Sheen!"

"Th-there!" Cindy said in relief while pointing across the hovercar. Sheen and Libby threw their arms onto their only means of staying afloat as Carl followed a few meters behind.

"Ca-ca-can we go home now?" Libby pleaded.

Jimmy nodded and pointed towards the shore. "Kick…towards shore," he instructed. "Carl, hurry!"

Libby reached behind her and held out her arm to Carl, who was just a few seconds away from reaching it. Their fingers brushed against one another as the ear-splitting roar returned.

"Carl!" Jimmy roared out as a black shape erupted from the water.

Carl spun around just in time to see the beast break the surface. Even with only the moonlight and stray beams of the spotlights to illuminate the creature, he and his friends recognized the curved shape from the famous Surgeon's Photograph. In an instant the monster grabbed the back of Carl's shirt and yanked him beneath the waves.

"No!" Jimmy cried out before shoving himself off of the hover car. He forced himself to go beneath the water and used all his willpower to steady his shaking limbs. Deeper, deeper, he struggled to dive while scanning all around. With no light to see by, he could barely make out Cindy's face appear just a foot from his own.

She grabbed his hand and cried out, "See him?"

Jimmy shook his head as his face fell. They locked their grip on each other tighter and swam forward, soon bumping into Sheen and Libby.

"Fi-find him?" Libby mumbled.

The roar returned, and the kids instinctively huddled together.

Jimmy took one more desperate look around. His friends were dying in the cold; they didn't have more than a few minutes left. "Up," he quietly instructed while kicking towards the surface.

"Huh!" Everyone groaned while gasping for air once more. ""Get on board!" Jimmy ordered while climbing on top of the inverted hover car. He held out his hand to Cindy and yanked her up as Libby did the same to Sheen across from him.

They all collapsed onto their backs as the roar returned.

"Paddle!" Cindy shouted while forcing her arms back into the icy water and desperately steering their ship towards the shore.

The rest of the group did the same, and the hovercar started moving just as the water erupted behind them once more.

"Don't look!" Jimmy shouted while the icy spray lapped over his back and send his body arching in pain. "Keep paddling!"

Everyone followed his advice as the creature's waves lurched them forward and they headed towards land.

It took twenty minutes of excruciating paddling before they breached the rocky shore. Everyone stumbled off of the hovercar, took a few steps away from the loch, and collapsed on the beach.

"Carl," Libby mumbled while gasping for breath.

Jimmy inhaled deeply and then shoved himself off of the ground. "Flip it over," he hoarsely ordered while grabbing the side of the hover car.

"What?" Cindy weakly whispered while rolling onto her side.

"Find him," Jimmy instructed. He took in a few more breaths and spoke more clearly. "We can get it to fly again. Then go find him."

Sheen quickly nodded and took place beside Jimmy to flip the ship over.

"No," Cindy sputtered out while coughing.

Jimmy glared at her and found it a struggle to say each word. "We have to find him!"

Cindy grabbed his shoulder and nodded. "Not…" she swallowed hard and wiped the water from her eyes. "In this."

Libby nodded in understanding and met Jimmy's gaze. "Daniel."

Jimmy understood and stared down the shore at where they had landed. "Need a boat," he agreed through quivering lips. He then looked back at his friends and nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Daniel whistled happily while stepping outside and watching his breath form in the night air. "I be lockin' up the pub and standin' by the sea," he sang the happy tune while making up its words. "Waiting for the kids to find Cap'n Betty."

Daniel pulled his keys out of his jacket pocket and searched for the right one. "Then I'll see be seeing Cindy again…" he cocked his head while struggling to come up with a good rhyme. He ultimately nodded and smiled. "And I'll find the big-headed boy is just her friend."

He'd put the key in the lock when he heard a sputtering engine behind him. He spun around and watched the hovercar shakily approach the parking lot. "Well, ye all sure finished right quick." He took a few steps towards the group as the hovercar landed roughly. "Did you find the captain?"

No one answered as the four kids stumbled out of the hover car like zombies. Daniel immediately leaned forward once he saw that they were soaking wet. "Why are ye all drookit?"

Cindy rubbed her arms together and led her friends towards Daniel. "We need your help."


	5. Moonlight

Daniel struggled to balance a tray with four steaming mugs of hot chocolate in one hand and a stack of towels in the other. He pushed open the kitchen door with his hip and jogged over to the four shivering kids huddled together in a booth to keep warm.

"Get some a' this in ye," Daniel hurriedly uttered while sliding the mugs to each of his guests. They all eagerly grabbed the drinks as Daniel passed out the towels. He saved one, took the seat next to Cindy, and draped it over her shoulders. "Noo tell me what the bloody hell happened oot there."

Jimmy and his friends slid a few inches apart while hugging the towels around them. "We were," Jimmy hesitated and took a gulp of the piping hot coca, "halfway through our scans of the loch when -"

"Wait," Daniel suddenly interrupted while glancing around the group, "didn't you have a fifth mate?"

Jimmy cringed as Cindy looked down. "Carl…" she let her voice trail off for a moment, "he..."

"The monster got him," Sheen summed up while looking Daniel in the eyes.

The teen cocked his head and studied Sheen's serious expression. "Are ye all pulling my leg?"

"No!" Jimmy immediately shot back.

"There were these big waves," Libby quietly explained. "And the water was churning. Then this…this thing just jumped up and flipped the hover car over."

"I saw it," Cindy said with a steely nod. She stared hard at Daniel and added, "I saw the monster. It grabbed Carl by the neck and dragged him under."

"Noo jist haud on!" Daniel protested. "You probably saw some fish or a log or somethin'."

"I thought you believed in the monster," Sheen shot back.

"Focus!" Jimmy angrily told the group while slamming a fist onto the table. Everyone jumped and turned towards him. "I don't know what that thing was, but Carl's gone and we need to find him." He stared hard at Daniel and added, "We need that boat you offered."

Daniel leaned back in his seat and ran both hands through his short hair. "I don't want to hurt y'all," he sincerely began, "but if your friend got dragged under the water, what chance does he have?"

Jimmy immediately yanked the half-empty box of air gum from his pocket and slid it across the table. Daniel picked it up as Jimmy explained. "We all took a piece of that. It lets you breathe underwater for twenty-four hours. As long as Carl wasn't eaten, he survived." Jimmy swallowed hard and added, "But we don't have long to find him."

Daniel tapped the box against the table three times before sliding it back to Jimmy. "I've lived on the loch me whole life," he told the group. "I've never heard of anything like this before." He studied the four faces before him and measured their intensity. "Do y'all swear that yer tellin' the truth? That this ain't…one of yer crazy American prank shows or something?"

"Daniel," Cindy strongly whispered while looking into the teen's eyes, "we swear."

He held her gaze for just a moment before nodding and rising from his seat. "I'll call Erin."

* * *

Daniel led his new friends down a rough dirt road away from his restaurant. The group was still sipping the cocoa from their mugs and shivering in the cold night air.

"So, this Erin," Libby said while squeezing Sheen's hand to warm them both, "who is she?"

"She's a mate of mine," Daniel said over his shoulder. "Been goin' on four years noo. She can be a bit," he hesitated and searched for the right word, "off-putting at first, but you'll warm up to her right quick."

Jimmy and his friends shared worried looks as Daniel froze in place. He nodded at a dark blue boat that resembled a tiny ferry. "Thar she is," he told his friends while approaching the vessel. **M.V. Finlay **was painted across its hull. "Erin! We're here!"

Jimmy, Cindy, Libby, and Sheen studied the boat carefully. It looked to be a little less than forty feet long and was clearly a sight-seeing vessel. The bottom deck had a salon filled with a few small tables and a bar stocked with snacks. Aft of the cabin was a tiny open area with stairs that led to the upper deck. A few benches were littered around this mostly empty space, but a tiny enclosed room rested forward to it. Jimmy and Cindy correctly surmised that this was the wheelhouse where the captain steered the boat. The only curious thing about the vessel was what looked like a tiny cannon on top of the small room.

"I think that's our captain," Cindy said while pointing at the wheelhouse. Everyone watched as a tall thin girl stepped out its door. She effortlessly hung herself over the side of the upper deck and dropped down below. She landed easily, hopped onto the dock, and approached Daniel. Everyone cocked their head at her long, dark green hair and the silver ring piercing the right side of her nose. Jimmy quickly surmised that she was a year or two older than Daniel.

"Took ye long enough," she muttered while crossing her arms and staring at the four kids behind her friend. She let out a weary sigh and stared hard at Daniel. "Ya didn't tell me your mates were bairns."

"Play nice," Daniel gently told the girl while turning towards the group. "Everyone," he said while letting his eyes settle on Cindy, "this is Erin Douglas. She knows the loch like the back of 'er hand. If there's anyone who can find your mate, its her."

Erin drummed her fingers along her arms and stared at Jimmy. "I've got work at daybreak, so this better be as important as Daniel says. He told me your friend is missin', so why didn't you call the police and let them handle the search?"

"We can find him faster," Jimmy confidently uttered.

"Now why in the world would that be true?"

"They're not ordinary tourists," Daniel said while tossing her Jimmy's hypercube. "Press the button and see."

Erin frowned but did as instructed. She watched an orange flare fly out of the device and spiral a few feet into the air. Her eyes bugged out in shock but she managed to catch the thin tube on its way down. "How the hell did that thing fit in there?" she asked while measuring the flare against the comparatively small hypercube.

"Inter-dimensional mass transference," Jimmy quickly answered while stepping forward and gently taking both items from Erin's hands. "Trust us, we have the tools we need to find Carl. And with your boat, we **will **find him."

Erin shifted her gaze among each of the four kids and then offered a tiny half-smile. "You're lucky I'm always searching for adventure. Shuttling doe-eyed tourists around all day can get borin'. Hop on board."

Jimmy and his friends shared sighs of relief and smiles while hurrying on the vessel. Erin watched them pass by but grabbed Daniel's arm as he began to follow. "Let me guess," she whispered with a huff of amusement, "it's the blonde one?"

"Shut up," he quietly warned before ripping his arm free and heading on deck.

"Ye always were a flirt," Erin happily uttered while following him.

* * *

Erin couldn't help but be impressed with how quickly her new guests transformed her vessel. The tall maniacal boy and his girlfriend had attached four enormous spotlights to the corners of her ship in the blink of an eye. Daniel's crush and the brown-haired boy had hooked up their sonar in the wheelhouse. Daniel had settled down at one of the nearby tables and was tallying the rest of the equipment the kids had brought.

"Dan," Erin began while approaching him, "what toys did they bring?"

Dan offered an enthusiastic smile and pointed at the array of tools before him. "Five flares, emergency transponder, air gum -"

"Air what?" Erin interrupted.

"It lets you breathe underwater," Jimmy explained as he and Cindy strolled up.

"And it tastes like bubble gum!" Sheen happily added as he and Libby joined the group.

Daniel tossed her the box, which Erin caught and eyed skeptically. "I already tried it. It is tasty."

Erin hesitantly popped a piece in her mouth and slowly began chewing. "What else?"

Jimmy pointed at his hypnobeam. "That's my hypnobeam. It hypnotizes people."

"Never would have guessed from the name," Erin said with a roll of her eyes.

Cindy smiled and then pointed at the last three items. "We also have a first aid kit, night vision binoculars, and jetpack. That's it."

Erin leaned down and looked at each item closely. She then pulled a map out of her jeans' back pocket and spread it over the table. "Alright. Noo show me exactly where ye were when your friend disappeared."

Cindy pointed at a spot near the dead center of the loch. "We were right there."

"Aye, near Foyers then," Erin said with a thoughtful nod. "We'll start there and search in a circle. If we spiral outwards we'll get a sizeable piece of the loch covered by the time we reach the west or east shore."

Jimmy looked to Cindy, and they both shared a nod. "Good idea," she summed up.

Erin glanced out the salon's window and watched the waves, too lost in her thoughts to respond. "The current's slow but headed northwest. If we don't find your friend by the time we touch shore, then we'll head up towards Drumnadrochit. He might have washed up around there."

Erin scooped the map off the table before anyone could respond and stared hard into Jimmy's eyes. "Daniel said you thought you saw the monster," she steadily began. Cindy narrowed her eyes at the word **thought**. "What did it look like?"

"It was Nessie," Cindy said while curling her fingers into a fist. "I know what I saw."

"Did I say ye didn't?" Erin snapped back. Cindy pulled back a slight, but Erin didn't peel her eyes away. "I need to know everything about it. Size, shape, speed, everything."

Jimmy's head tilted in surprise but he gave the information she wanted. "The sonar showed a thirty meter mass."

"Lengthwise?" Erin said while taking a step towards James. He nodded, so she went on to ask, "how wide?"

"Ten meters," Jimmy quickly answered.

"It," Cindy swallowed and got her steady tone back, "it looked like the picture. The one that everyone's seen."

"The Surgeon's Photograph," Erin thoughtfully mumbled. "Curved neck, thin head?"

"That was it!" Sheen excitedly agreed. "I watched it through the binoculars!"

"And how fast did it move?" Erin asked.

Libby turned to Sheen. "Carl spotted it when Jimmy and Cindy started arguing, right?" Sheen excitedly nodded, so Libby faced Erin. "It must have gotten to us in about a minute."

Erin stared out at the water and closed her eyes. "If ye all were in the middle of the loch near Foyer, ye must have been about a half mile from shore."

"So it was moving at about thirty miles per hour," Jimmy immediately calculated.

Erin nodded and yanked out an ancient gold pocket watch. Everyone but Daniel stared curiously at her as she quickly gauged the time. "It's nearin' one in the morning," she harshly uttered while shoving the watch back into her pocket and looking at the small crowd before her. "Let's get this thing started. Jimmy, was it?" she asked while staring at the brown-haired boy.

He nodded, so she pointed at him. "You're in the wheelhouse with me monitoring that sonar. You," she said while nodding at Libby, "handle the starboard spotlights. Shine, you're on -"

"Sorry," Libby apologetically interrupted, "what side is starboard?"

"And its Sheen!" Sheen angrily protested.

Erin closed her eyes for a long moment and let out a strained breath. "Starboard is the right," she slowly answered. "And I don't care what your name is. Whoever you are, manage the port spotlights."

"What side is port?" Sheen asked.

"Unbelievable," Erin groaned while staring angrily at Daniel, who offered a nervous smile. "Dan, you manage the harpoon cannon. Blondie, you're up there with him scanning with the binoculars." Erin glanced at each member of her team and asked, "Any questions?"

"Yeah. Why do you have a harpoon cannon?" Cindy asked in disbelief.

Erin felt her right hand curling into a fist but forced it to open. "Me father always did believe in Nessie," she quickly answered. She hesitated for a moment and added, "And he was a cautious man. Now let's get to work." Erin glanced once more at the kids and realized they were still wet and shivering. She sighed, stared at the four empty mugs on one of the salon's tables, and then looked to Dan. "And for god's sake get behind the bar and make them some more cocoa. I'm not having my crew shake in the wind."

* * *

"Anything?" Erin's calm voice asked as the ship turned hard to port.

"Just some fish and otters," Jimmy glumly answered while looking up from the sonar screen. He opened the wheel house's door and glanced up at Cindy. "Anything?" he nervously asked.

Cindy didn't peel her gaze away from the binoculars. "Sorry," she said with a shake of her head. "Nothing yet."

Erin heard the response and kept turning the wheel. "Alright then," she said with a resolute nod. "Starting the next circle."

Jimmy rapped his knuckles against the sonar's screen and closed his eyes for a long moment. "Erin," he finally began, "the sonar's set to beep if it finds anything big. You mind if I...take a minute?"

"Water closet's in the saloon," she answered back while keeping her gaze on the water.

"It's not that," Jimmy glumly mumbled while heading out onto the deck. He leaned his arms against the starboard rails and watched the wake left by the ship's engines. For a moment he just stood there in silence, but then he gripped the bars tighter and closed his eyes. "Come on, Carl," he whispered. "Be out there."

Up on top of the wheelhouse, Cindy settled her binoculars on Jimmy's face and watched him quickly wipe a hand over his eyes. She felt her stomach drop and glanced over at Daniel. "Daniel, do you think you can handle keeping watch for a few minutes?"

The boy stared over at Jimmy and then at Cindy. He eventually sighed and offered a nod. "Sure," he tried to infuse his words with a semblance of happiness as he accepted the binoculars. "Not much to shoot right now anyway."

"Thanks," Cindy offered while climbing down the ladder to the deck below. She headed towards Jimmy ended up standing by his side. She mirrored his posture and hung her arms over the rails.

"Hey," she gently whispered while offering him a sorrowful smile. She watched his pupils shift towards her out of the corner of his eyes. She weighed whether or not to say the words on her mind before finally asking, "Are you okay?"

A crisp breeze riled the water and sent both children shivering. They reflexively stepped closer together for extra warmth as Jimmy answered. "I was stupid."

Cindy's face fell further at James' tone. She'd never heard him so calm yet so miserable. "What are you talking about?"

"I spent so much time arguing the monster wasn't real that I didn't bother to think of what we would do if we actually found it." Jimmy brought his freezing hands together and rested his forehead on them. "If I'd bothered for one minute to come up with a plan, Carl wouldn't have gotten eaten."

"He wasn't eaten," Cindy immediately protested. "And if anyone was stupid it was me." She gripped the bars harder and stared angrily at the water. "I was the one saying the monster was real, so I should have figured out what to do when we saw it."

"It's not on you," Jimmy assured her.

Cindy shook her head and found Jimmy staring at her. They locked eyes and she gave a sorrowful half-smile. "Care to split the blame?"

Jimmy huffed and felt his lips twitch upward. "Sure."

They both looked away and stared back at the water. "I didn't think you'd admit it this easily," Cindy offered after a moment.

"Admit what?"

"The monster," Cindy clarified. "I figured you'd keep saying it was just something stupid, like a bunch of fish or a seal."

"I saw it grab Carl too," Jimmy answered.

"I know," Cindy said with a nod, "but I still figured you'd fight me tooth and nail on it."

Jimmy stared at her for a long moment. Cindy eventually felt his gaze and met his eyes. "I," Jimmy licked his lips and tasted the chilly air, "I thought you knew I'm...I'm not that kid anymore."

Cindy cocked her head, but Jimmy kept talking. "I was stupid to be so…adamant about the monster not being real," he explained, "but I can admit what you found, Cindy." He shook his head and with a hint of pride added, "you proved in one afternoon what no one could in a hundred years."

"We didn't prove anything," Cindy countered. "We just saw it. No one will believe us."

Jimmy tapped his watch. "I set it to record everything while we were out here. Hard to argue with what it captured."

Cindy smiled and hastily replied, "If we're splitting the blame, then we're sharing the glory too. It's not like it was my hovercar or watch." She bit her lip and then added, "And yeah, I know you're not still a know-it-all jerk."

Cindy looked up at the impossibly clear moon and stars. Jimmy followed her gaze as she spoke. "It's beautiful out here."

Jimmy sadly agreed. "It doesn't look like that in Retroville." He shifted his feet and then stared glumly back at the water. "Wish I could enjoy it."

Cindy completely bridged the gap between them as the wind started to pick up once more. "Hey," she said with enough strength to attract Jimmy's gaze, "we're going to find him."

"How do you know?"

Cindy grabbed Jimmy's hand and gently squeezed. "We've survived too much to be done in by a cowardly plesiosaur."

Jimmy stared down at their entwined hands and smiled. He mustered his bravery, squeezed her hand back, and answered, "That's the most romantic thing anyone's ever said."

Cindy laughed and and immediately shoved Jimmy away. "Shut up!"

Jimmy chuckled while closing the distance between them, and they both slowly grabbed each other's hands once more.

* * *

Daniel sat with his legs hanging over the wheelhouse's ceiling and leaned his back against the harpoon cannon. He managed a tiny smile as the fiery blonde pushed Jimmy back a good foot but felt everything inside him crack as she grabbed onto his hand once more.

"Guess it doesn't matter," he whispered while staring up at the sky. "She'll be gone by day's end."

A sudden knocking sent him glancing over the side of the wheelhouse. He found Erin poking her head out of the one of the glass windows and staring up at him. "Get in here," she sternly instructed before retreating back inside the tiny room.

Daniel sighed and walked around the harpoon cannon. He lowered himself over the edge and dropped down to the deck. "What is it?" he quietly asked while entering the wheel house and closing the door behind him.

"Take a seat," she instructed while pointing to the floor beside her. Daniel begrudgingly did as told and leaned against the wall so that he could face his friend.

"Thought I was keeping watch," he argued.

"I think you've caught enough of an eyeful," she shot back while opening a tiny cupboard and pulling out a flask.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "You know you need to be eatin' a meal with that. And you can't be taking it outta the pub."

Erin took a swig and coughed as it burnt a trial of fire down her throat. "Normally I'd offer to repay the missing goods," she said with a mischievous smile, "but I think you owe me a swig of whiskey."

"The adventure isn't payment enough?"

"Not much adventure yet," Erin protested. "Just ferrying around more tourists." She held the flask out to Daniel. "Want a nip?"

Daniel huffed. "I'll be in enough trouble when pa finds me gone. I'm good."

Erin tossed the flask back inside the cupboard and closed its door. "So, care to your spill your heart out?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Naw thanks."

"She is pretty, in a young way."

"Shut up," he playfylly warned. "They're all twelve except for the Skinny Malinky Longlegs. And I did just turn fourteen." He titled his head back and stared at the ceiling. "She is bonnie, though."

Erin turned her gaze over the steering wheel at the loch, but still cracked a smile. "You can be sweet, you ken thon Daniel?"

Dan managed a grin of his own. "You can too, Erin." He let out a deep breath and asked, "Why'd ye help me out, anyway? You barely get enough sleep as it is, taking care of this ol' rust bucket by yourself."

"Watch yer mouth," Erin warned while glancing around the boat with pride. "And I could tell you needed me." She shook her head in amusement and asked, "Where would you be without ol' Erin, anyway?"

"I'd be very, very scunnered."

Erin laughed. "You good, mate?"

Daniel nodded. "Aye. I'm good."

"Then get back on watch. We've got a monster to catch and a bairn to bag."

"Well said," Daniel agreed while rising to his feet. He headed around Erin towards the door, but stopped and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks for the talk." He gave her a gentle squeeze and added, "Really."

"Anytime, mate," Erin said before turning the steering wheel and starting another pass around the Loch.


	6. Nessie's Return

"Anything?" Daniel asked while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Cindy scanned the loch's eastern shore one last time before sighing. "Nothing," she dreadfully whispered.

"Don't fret yet," Dan hopefully told Cindy as she turned away from the water and faced him. "We've barely got a third of the loch scanned. He could still be out there."

Cindy nervously chewed on her bottom lip and sighed. "I don't know if Jimmy just forgot to account for it, or if he chose not to consider it, but there's no way Carl could have survived this long in the water."

"Well doesn't he hae twenty-four hours of -"

"It's not the air," Cindy muttered while taking a seat on the floor. "We all barely lasted twenty minutes in that water. Heck, I'm still shivering," Cindy muttered as the breeze picked up and made her shudder.

"I could put on another batch of cocoa," Daniel quietly offered. He gave the harpoon cannon a nervous stare and then sat down on the floor opposite Cindy.

"Daniel," Cindy gently chided, "you know what I'm trying to say. The only way Carl is still alive is if he washed up on shore. And wouldn't we have spotted him by now if he had? How far he could he have drifted?"

Dan forced his mind to race towards an explanation of Carl's survival. "If he did wash up," he slowly ventured, "maybe someone found him. He could be safe in Foyers or Drumnadrochit right noo. It's not like anyone could reach ye oot here."

Cindy considered this but ultimately shook her head. "He could have used a phone to call us." She hesitated and then looked Daniel in the eyes. "But…maybe the water broke Libby's phone. I didn't ask her."

"See?" Daniel offered with a cautious smile. "Don't give up hope, Cindy." Dan watched the blonde-haired girl consider his words and then glanced at the harpoon cannon. He quickly rose to his feet and offered Cindy his hand. "I think I ken what might pick ye up. Care to learn how to use the cannon?"

Cindy cast a quick look at the giant machine and then at Daniel's open hand. With a smile she accepted his offer and was hoisted to her feet.

* * *

"Carl!" Sheen's desperate shout rang out over Loch Ness. The manic teenager cupped a hand around his right ear and leaned it towards the water. For five seconds he held this position, focusing completely on listening for Carl's reply. None came.

"Carl!" Sheen shouted once more. He let his eyes rapidly dart around before narrowing them and screaming, "Nessie! Show yourself, you coward!"

Sheen heard footsteps approaching from behind and spun around to see Libby heading towards him. "I know," he quickly began while turning back around. "You think its annoying and you want me to be quiet but I have to keep shouting," Sheen said with a resolute nod. "He'll hear me eventually."

Libby sighed and joined her boyfriend. "I don't want you to stop," she gently said while grabbing his hand.

Sheen rose a skeptical eyebrow. "Really?"

"Well, my eardrums are threatening to burst, but its worth it. We have to find Carl."

Sheen hastily nodded, took in a deep breath, and noticed Libby flinch out of the corner of his eye. He waited a long moment and then quietly exhaled. "Libs," he nervously began, "you think he's out there, right?"

Libby watched the breeze swirl the water around before nodding. "Yeah, Sheen, I really do." Her eyes deadened as she concentrated on the waves beneath her.

"Good," Sheen said with a wide grin, "because I -"

"Carl!" Libby screeched as loud as Sheen had. Her boyfriend recoiled in shock and fell onto the deck. "Answer us now!"

Sheen rose to his feet with impossible speed, gripped the deck's rails, and screamed, "Carl!"

* * *

Erin's grip on the ship's wheel tightened as Libby and Sheen's voices rang out one after the other. She shot Jimmy a death glare as he stared at the sonar.

"He might be able to hear them if he's near the shore," Jimmy assured her.

"Well good for him," Erin grumbled while stifling a yawn. "I'm hesitant to ask since I know the answer, but anything on the sonar?"

Jimmy watched the screen for a few more seconds before sighing. "No," he muttered. "Not yet."

Erin's eyes drooped as her mind clouded. She felt her fingers start to fall off the steering wheel as her head collapsed, but she jerked it up at the last second. Adrenaline spiked through her veins but was washed out in an instant, leaving her just as tired as before. She'd been fighting sleep like this for the past hour, and she was starting to lose.

"How are ye bairns all still doe-eyed?" she asked while slapping her cheeks to combat sleep.

"Huh?" Jimmy asked while glancing from the sonar.

Erin scowled and said each word slowly. "How are you so awake?"

Jimmy glanced at his watch. "It's not even midnight back in Retroville."

Erin yanked out her pocket watch and narrowed her eyes at the device. "Well it's nearin' six in the morn here." She began to tap her fingers against the wheel while setting her steely gaze over the water. "Ye sure there's nothin' on the sonar?"

"No, there's not," Jimmy repeated.

Erin nodded to herself and grabbed the handpiece for the ship's speaker system. "Attention crew," she spoke into the device and listened as her words echoed loudly throughout the ship. "Report to the wheelhouse."

Jimmy stared quizzically at the girl. "What's going on? Did you find something?"

Erin ignored the question until Daniel, Libby, Sheen, and Cindy strolled into the tight quarters. "Before anyone else asks," she immediately said, "naw, we haven't found a thing."

"Then what's the matter?" Cindy quickly spoke up. "We need to be out there keeping an eye on the shore."

Erin clenched her right hand into a fist, squeezed it tight, and then released it. "Listen here, blondie, did ye forget that I'm the one doin' ye all a favor by shuttling you around the loch in the middle of the night for free?"

Cindy's face fell as her features softened. "Sorry," she quietly offered.

"Well that's much appreciated," Erin wryly went on, "but I called you in here to let ye know that I'm turning this ship around."

"What?!" Sheen cried out.

"We've been on the loch for nearly five hours," Erin tiredly explained. "We've searched every inch of the water from Foyers to Drumnadrochit and then some. There's nowhere else left to look."

"There's the whole rest of the loch!" Jimmy countered while motioning at the water all around them. "He could be anywhere!"

Erin spun around to face James. "What ye are suggesting is that your friend either swam against the current for over two kilometers or with it for six." She let out a deep breath and let her features soften. "Look, I'm truly sorry about yer mate goin' missing. But I've done everything I can. You need to call in a professional rescue team now. And I need to get back to the docks. I'll be having scores of paying tourists lined up soon."

Jimmy's face fell but he refused to yield. "I can pay you!" he cried out. He desperately reached into his pockets and pulled out a nearly empty wallet. "I…I don't have much money with me, but I have some in the lab for emergencies. I can -"

"It's not the money, mate," Erin sadly said while grabbing Jimmy's trembling arms and lowering them to his sides. "We've searched all of the water yer friend could possibly be in. If he is still alive," she swallowed hard and then went on, "and I hope he is, then he's on the shore somewhere. And if that's the case, then yer best bet of finding him is getting a team of professionals to scour the shore."

"Erin," Dan crossed his arms while his friend stared at him, "can't you spare a couple more hours? Maybe can head closer to land? Sail up and down it for a while?"

Erin considered this for a brief moment before shaking her head. "Like I said, I'm sorry. I'm not saying no because of the money, but I do have a business to run and a reputation to uphold. I can't just leave my customers hangin' in the wind. And a search and rescue team can search the shore faster than we can." She looked at each of her guests and then grabbed the wheel. "I'm bringing us home."

Quiet filled the wheelhouse until the sonar began to beep. Everyone froze and stared at each other save Erin, who simply kept her eyes on the water.

"Erin?" Daniel ventured.

"It must just be some fish," she answered.

"It's only set to beep for large masses," Jimmy protested while taking the few steps towards the machine.

"A big school of fish, then," Erin countered.

Another **beep** filled the room as Jimmy smiled. "It's the monster," he whispered in relief.

Erin's gaze shot towards the screen and her eyes widened as she saw the enormous mass appearing at the sonar's edge. Another **beep** echoed throughout the wheelhouse as the creature skirted around the screen.

"Size?" she robotically asked.

Cindy joined Jimmy and instinctively grabbed his hand. "Thirty meters long."

"And ten meters wide," Jimmy added. He stared at Erin. "Still want to go back?"

Erin let out a slow breath and reached her fingers out towards the screen. She let them slide down the glass while allowing herself a tiny smile. "No," she quietly answered. Then, as if a switch was thrown, she snapped her gaze towards Daniel and quickly ordered, "Dan, get to the cannon and man it tight."

"Aye aye," Dan eagerly said with a nod.

Erin didn't hesitate a moment to turn to each remaining member of her party. "Cindy, get up there with Dan," she raced through her words with impeccable speed. "Spot for him with the binoculars and feed him intel on the monster. Libby and Sheen, get back to manning the spolights. I'll be giving ye orders over the speaker and make sure to follow. James, you watch that sonar like your life depends on it, because it does. I'm going to skirt us around the creature so Dan can get a shot in its back."

For a split second everyone stared back at her, so she barked, "Move!" The crowd immediately scattered except for Jimmy, who locked his gaze onto the screen. Erin grabbed the wheel and stared out at the loch before her. "Let's get this monster."

* * *

Daniel pulled himself up the wheelhouse's ladder and climbed onto its roof. He immediately offered a hand to Cindy as she climbed behind him and hoisted her up. "Listen close, Cindy," he ordered while standing behind the cannon and staring down its crude sights. "We've got two harpoons for the cannon. If I nail the monster with the first shot, I'll need you to try to winch it in while I reload."

"You mean pull it towards the ship?" she Cindy steadily asked while powering on the night-vision binoculars.

"Aye," Daniel hurriedly answered. "It might try to swim off if I don't kill it with the first blow, so you'll need to keep it in place. Turn the crank," he said while pointing to a small handle at the base of the cannon, "like I showed you. Once we got the beast pinned in place I'll be able to aim better and land a kill shot."

Erin's voice suddenly filled the speakers as the engines sputtered to full power and the ship raced forward. "Monster's heading north," she instructed her crew, "and we're chasing after it. Focus spotlights aft and prepare for contact."

Cindy risked a quick look away from the ship's bow and glanced down at Libby and then Sheen. Both were following Erin's instructions and swiveling the spotlights towards the front of the ship.

* * *

"Mass is moving north by northeast," Jimmy urgently told Erin while focusing on the sonar. "Speed is steady at seven miles per hour."

"Use the bloody metric system!" Erin angrily ordered.

"Six knots," Jimmy immediately revised. "How fast can this ship go?"

"Seven," Erin muttered while narrowing her eyes. "It'll do." She spun the wheel slight to port and pushed her ship as fast as it could go.

"You're heading the opposite way," Jimmy protested as he watched the mass drift farther east on the screen.

"We're not facing the Loch Ness Monster head on," Erin shot back. "We catch up to her and circle around." She grabbed the speaker's handset and powered it on once more. "Revising course for northwest path. Shift spotlights thirty degrees starboard. Dan, eye the cannon in the same direction."

Jimmy nervously glanced up at the ceiling. "The harpoon…it will kill it?"

"Aye, it will," Erin answered.

"Is," Jimmy hesitated a long moment, "is that a good idea?"

"Didn't this thing try to kill you and your friends?" Erin shot back. "I'm not losing this ship trying to say hello to the bastard. So yeah, it's a good idea."

* * *

"Sheen, move the lights more to the right!" Libby shouted while getting the forward light in place and dashing aft for the back one.

"Got it!" Sheen shouted back while rotating his forward light a little more. He leaned over the rails and watched the water race by. "We're coming, Carl!" he eagerly shouted at the water.

* * *

"Distance to mass?" Erin steadily asked while keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of the monster.

"We're closing in," Jimmy quickly answered. "One hundred meters and closing at two meters per second."

Erin grabbed the speaker's handset once more. "We have thirty seconds until strike range! Dan, prepare to fire!"

* * *

"I see it!" Cindy shouted while staring through the binoculars at a large patch of churning water hard to starboard.

"Where?" Daniel asked while cracking his neck and closing his left eye. He stared down the cannon's sights with his right and gripped the trigger tight.

"The spotlights are just at the edges of it," Cindy said while lowering the binoculars and staring over the rails at Libby. "Libs!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Shift your lights a few degrees left! Sheen, move yours to the right!"

Cindy slid to a stop beside Daniel and glanced through the binoculars once more. The two sets of lights shifted ever so slightly and centered on the churning water. "There!" Cindy triumphantly shouted while pointing at the waves. "You see it?"

Daniel gave a steely nod. "Aye, I do." He slammed his right foot hard onto the floor twice and shouted down to Erin. "Got sight on the beast! Permission to fire?"

* * *

Erin could barely hear Dan's words over the growing waves and growling engines. "How deep is it?" she calmly asked Jimmy while circling the monster.

"Fifteen meters," Jimmy shot back.

Erin nodded and activated the speakers. "Target is fifteen meters deep. Take aim and fire!"

* * *

Dan took in a deep breath, tried to slow the beating of his heart, and stared hard at his target. "Firing," he whispered while pulling the trigger.

A loud **pop** rose above the engines' roar and the waves as the cannon fired. In the blink of an eye the harpoon raced the air and slammed into the water. Dan didn't hesitate a moment as he started reloading the cannon. "Cindy, tow the line and keep that thing from fleeing!"

Cindy grabbed the crank and gave it a hard turn. Her face sank at how easy it was to spin. "There's no resistance!"

"What?" Dan shouted.

* * *

"That's not possible," Jimmy mumbled in disbelief while his eyes widened at the sonar's screen.

"What are ye talkin' about?" Erin loudly asked. Another thump came from the wheelhouse's ceiling as Daniel's voice came shouting down.

"I bloody missed!" his angry voice pierced the ceiling.

Erin scowled and grabbed the speaker's handpiece. "How the hell did you miss?! I taught you how to shoot meself!"

"Erin!" Jimmy shouted with clear resolve. She locked onto his gaze as he pointed at the sonar screen. "He didn't miss. The monster…it dodged it."

"The monster's bigger than this ship! How could it dodge it?" Erin scowled while grabbing the speaker piece. "Reload and prepare to fire!" she shouted into the device.

Jimmy shook his head and pointed at the screen. "It splintered apart into dozens of pieces right before the harpoon hit. Then it just...merged back together."

Erin shook her head and loudly asked, "What does that mean?"

"I don't know!" Jimmy shot back. He closed his eyes and forced his mind to come up with possible explanations. "Maybe…maybe this **is** just a school of fish…or the monster is a more alien creature than we could have imagined."

An ear-splitting roar filled the night air.

"Yeah, well that doesn't sound like fish to me," Erin hurriedly answered. "What's its heading?"

Jimmy's face fell as he watched the sonar. "Straight for us."

* * *

Cindy kept reeling in Daniel's missed harpoon until it climbed out of the water and rose above deck. She reached over the edge of the wheelhouse's roof and grabbed the enormous spear. "Got it!"

"Good, now get back on the binoculars!" Daniel instructed while aiming down the cannon's sights. "I can't see the waves anymo -"

"Hold on!" Erin's voice shouted just before the ship lurched hard to port. Instinct grabbed hold of Daniel at his friend's words, and he managed to keep his footing by holding on tight to the cannon. Cindy wasn't as lucky and crashed to the floor.

"What the heck?" Cindy cried as Daniel hoisted her to her feet. Another one of the monster's roars filled the air, this time much closer than before.

Daniel swiveled the cannon around in a desperate attempt to follow the sound. "I think its attacking the ship!"

Daniel's fears were confirmed as Erin's frantic voice cried out. "Starboard side brace for impact!"

* * *

Everyone on board grabbed hold of something as a massive impact underneath the ship sent it listing to port. Erin viciously spun the wheel starboard and tried to maintain control of the vessel. Libby was thrown into the salon's wall. Sheen was slammed into the port rails, but the bars kept him from falling over. Cindy was knocked into the harpoon cannon and managed to grasp the iron bar that served as its sights.

She watched in terror as Daniel's fingers slipped off of the cannon's trigger and he tumbled into the icy water.

A few fast blinks, the closing and opening of her eyes, didn't wash away the truth. As the ship righted itself and Cindy saw that Daniel was nowhere to be seen, she cried out his name. "Daniel!"

From inside the wheelhouse, Jimmy managed to make out the sheer terror in his friend's voice. "Cindy?" he shouted as loud as he could.

Erin immediately grabbed the speaker's handpiece and yelled into it. "Cindy, Daniel, report!"

A **thump** served as Erin's reply as Cindy jumped off of the wheelhouse's ceiling and burst into the room. "He fell overboard!"

Erin's grip on the wheel loosened as she shot her gaze towards Cindy. "What?" she desperately cried out.

Cindy gasped for breath while running a trembling hand through her hair. "The ship listed, and he lost his grip on the cannon. It happened so fast -"

"Daniel?" Erin painfully squeaked. She shook her head hard and stared daggers at Cindy. "You let him fall?"

"I didn't...there wasn't time," Cindy quietly answered.

Erin breathed hard and fast for a few excruciating seconds before staring out at the water. Her hands trembled, but then she dashed towards the small supply closet where she had stored the equipment her guests had brought.

"What are you doing?" Jimmy asked.

Erin rejoined them in a flash and shoved the five flares into Jimmy's hands. "Listen to me very closely," Erin spoke as quickly as she could. "We're only half a kilometer from shore." She quickly spun around and adjusted the wheel. "I'm putting us on a straight course for land."

Without pausing Erin swiveled back towards Jimmy and yanked a flare from his grasp. "You keep the ship on that heading, don't change it for anything. Most of the shore over there is rocky, but I've gotten you headed for a smooth part of the beach. When you approach the shore, cut the engines but **do not** turn the ship."

"Wait, what are you doing?" Cindy desperately asked while Erin tossed her the pocket watch she always carried.

"If you turn the ship you might flip the whole thing over and crush yerselves," she hurriedly explained while dashing out of the wheelhouse. Cindy and Jimmy followed her as she stared over the upper deck's rails. "I'll pop my flare after I've found Daniel and the sun's risen. You follow the smoke and we'll meet inland."

Jimmy's eyes popped open as he realized what Erin was doing. Another of the monster's roars only made his adrenaline spike harder. "You can't just leave us! I've never steered a boat before!"

"Haven't ye been listening?" Erin roared while kicking off her shoes. "You shouldn't have to steer it at all." She dropped her voice and grabbed Jimmy by the shoulders. "You stay together and keep yer friends safe. Hand out the flares, and if for some reason you get separated use them to find each other."

Cindy tore Jimmy away from Erin's gasp and stared into the teenager's wild eyes. "Daniel took the gum, he'll be fine! You can't just abandon us!"

A pained look conquered Erin's face as she stared desperately at the churning water below. "The loch's a hundred meters deep here and he ain't as strong a swimmer as I. If he sinks to the bottom he'll freeze." She gasped hard as tears welled in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, but I can't lose him too."

Before Jimmy or Cindy could say another word, Erin leaped over the rails and disappeared into the crashing water.

The two children stared at the water in disbelief. Sheen was following their gaze from the deck below, and then Libby came running up to her boyfriend. "What the heck was that?" Libby shouted.

Jimmy allowed himself a few seconds of terror before steeling his nerves and taking control. "Libby, Sheen, get to the salon and stay in there," he shouted while tossing them each a flare. "Cindy, come with me. I'm getting us to land."

James didn't wait for a response before rushing back into the wheelhouse. Cindy stared painfully at Libby before following him inside. "You can handle that?" she asked while pointing at the wheel.

"She said I shouldn't have to do much," Jimmy repeated Erin's orders. He pointed at the sonar and told Cindy, "I need you to tell where the monster is so I can avoid if it comes back."

A glance at the device was all Cindy needed to tell Jimmy, "It's coming back now."

"What direction and how far away?" he cried out.

"Twenty meters starboard," Cindy shot back. Her eyes popped open and she loudly asked, 'What the hell?"

"What?!" Jimmy cried out.

"It's breaking apart!" Cindy shouted in amazement. "The monster's splitting -"

Her words were interrupted as the beast slammed into the starboard hull and sent the ship rising from the water. Jimmy was thrown from the wheel, and both he and Cindy tumbled through the air. Jimmy watched as Cindy hit a wall and slumped to the ground. For a split second he couldn't figure out why he wasn't stopping like she was, but then he heard the sound of glass breaking.

James flew through the wheelhouse's window and over the deck. The last thing he saw was one of the bars lining the deck slamming into his temple.

* * *

All Jimmy could feel was pain as he slowly opened his eyes. It radiated from the large bruise on his forehead, from the searing crease in his neck, and from the impossibly bright sun pouring into his pupils. He quickly forced his eyes closed and focused on the sound of gentle waves lapping against the shore.

"I'm," he paused and listened to the sound of his voice, "alive." He huffed in amazement and slowly brought his right hand to his forehead. The touch sent a wave of pain throughout his body, but he was relieved to find no fresh blood when he yanked his fingers away.

"Okay," he mumbled to himself while steeling his nerves and sitting up. More agony raced through his nerves, but he forced himself to ignore it. When it was over he was gasping for breath, but he was sitting upright. "Okay," he said once more.

The day before him couldn't have been in starker contrast to the night before. Only a handful of fluffy white clouds littered the impossibly blue sky. The sun cast down its warm rays and left Jimmy wondering how he could have nearly frozen to death just hours ago.

Jimmy spent a few moments considering all that he could remember. He knew that Daniel and Erin had gone overboard. He also knew that he had been painfully ejected from the vessel and left Cindy in charge of bringing it to shore. He slowly swiveled his gaze, but saw no sign of the ship along the shore. The paint that accompanied that simple movement sent a hand to his neck.

James could feel chafed skin along the base of his neck but couldn't see the source of the pain. He turned off his watch, tilted the dark screen so that it served as a rough mirror, and thought he could make out a thin red line along his skin. Curious, Jimmy pulled on the back of his shirt. The fabric ended up plastering against his skin exactly where the red line was.

_Did someone drag me from the water?_ he asked in disbelief. He forced himself to his feet and took a good look around. There was no sign of anyone nearby, and the ground beneath him was made of rocks instead of sand. That meant no footprints.

If someone had saved him from the water, why would they just abandon him on this beach? The strangeness of his situation, along with his injuries, brought a new pulse of pain through his head. His eyes shot down to the ground as his muscles tightened, and he saw his flare just a couple of feet away.

Jimmy knelt down on one knee and picked up the orange tube. Then he spun around and stared at the thick forest behind him. He knew that the smart thing to do would be to send up his flare and wait for rescue to come, either from his friends or a boat out on the loch. But Jimmy Neutron was never one for sitting around and waiting when he could get something done himself. He shoved the flare into his jean's pocket and slowly made his way inland.

* * *

"Cindy!" he shouted as loud as he could manage while sitting down on an overturned tree. His throat burned from thirst; a half hour of rough hiking had covered him in sweat. He cursed himself for forgetting that the loch was full of fresh water and not grabbing some before heading into the woods.

"Sheen!" this cry came much quieter as he took in a few deep breaths. He coughed and stared down at the dirt below. "Libby," he whispered. "Carl, Daniel, Erin," he completed the list before gently rubbing his temple.

Jimmy took a moment to gather his breath and then stared around the forest. For a moment he let his mind drift away towards the last time he had been stranded. In spite of the direness of his current situation, he couldn't argue that this location was just as beautiful as that tropical island. He allowed himself a brief smile while staring at the bright green plants around him, the moss growing on nearly every rock, and the thin, mostly barren branches protruding from the trees.

Jimmy pulled the flare from his pocket and turned it over in his hands. He was exhausted and needed to rest. Deciding it was for the best, he popped open the tube and watched a cloud of orange smoke rush out into the air. He cocked his arm back and threw it straight up as hard as he could. Luck was on his side as it landed in a tree and sent the smoke high into the sky.

"Might work after all," he said with a tiny smile. Then he settled down on the ground, leaned against the tree, and closed his eyes.

* * *

"It came from over here!"

"Are you sure?"

"Look! You can still see the smoke!"

Jimmy's eyes fluttered open as he lifted his head off of the log. The two familiar voices echoed in his ears, and he instantly smiled while climbing to his feet. "Cindy? Libby?" he shouted.

"Jimmy!" Cindy's eager voice shouted back. Jimmy hobbled towards the sound, and within seconds the three friends stumbled upon one another.

"Oh thank god," Libby gratefully said when Jimmy stepped into view.

"You had us worried sick, Neutron," Cindy painfully uttered while approaching her friend. She hesitated for a brief second but then wrapped him in a hug which he readily returned. "Where the heck were you?"

Jimmy waited until Cindy had pulled away and then offered Libby a smile. "I woke up on a beach about a half hour's walk from here. What happened to you guys?" He looked around nervously and immediately asked, "Is Sheen okay?"

Libby hastily nodded. "He's fine. He stayed back with the others."

Jimmy sighed in relief. "So you found Daniel and Erin?"

Cindy allowed herself a wide smile. "Not just them."

* * *

It only took fifteen minutes for the girls to lead Jimmy back to their camp. Along the way they explained that Cindy had in fact managed to steer the ship around the monster and safely to shore. They'd spent a half hour combing the area for Jimmy, but Erin had sent up her smoke just as the sun started to rise. They'd regrouped and were soon found by Cap'n Betty himself. Jimmy listened in disbelief and relayed his brief adventure through the woods. By the time the three friends were caught up, they strolled into Betty's camp.

Jimmy shook his head in amazement and smiled as wide as he could when he spotted Carl sitting atop a log by a small fire. Across from him sat Cap'n Betty with Sheen anchored by his side. Daniel and Erin were leaning against a tree a few feet away. Adding a few logs to the fire was a tall, thin teenager that Jimmy didn't recognize.

"Carl!" Jimmy cried out while rushing towards his friend. Carl snapped his head towards James and jumped to his feet.

"Hey, Jim!" he happily answered with a wave. "We were all worried about you!"

Jimmy stopped a foot from his friend. "**We** were worried about **you**," he quietly countered. Then he wrapped his friend in a tight embrace.

"Aw," Sheen said while tilting his head. It only took a moment for rage to dance through his eyes. "Hey, I survived too!" He held out his arms and waited for an embrace that was not to come.

A raspy cry sprung from nearby, and Jimmy's blood instantly froze as he recognized the monster's call. He pulled back from Carl in fright, looked around the camp, and spotted thirty seals awkwardly wallowing through the forest. His jaw dropped and his head tilted as he watched them approach.

"Yeah, about them," Cindy said with an amused grin, "I figured it was best to let you see the monster for yourself."

Jimmy slowly shook his head back and forth while staring at the creatures. "Huh?"

Cap'n Betty laughed and patted the empty spot on the log beside him. "Why don't ye take a seat with your friends, Mr. Neutron. I think it's time Cap'n Betty told ye the truth about the Loch Ness Monster."


	7. Betty's Tale

"C'mon, Betty. Don't want to keep yer lass waiting, dae ye?"

Eleven year-old Betty Wilson could barely contain his smile as he picked up his pace. "I sure dinnae."

Betty considered himself a lad of the woods. He spent most of his free time exploring the forest around Loch Ness, and he was particularly familiar with the area behind Foyers Primary School. Yet in spite of his woodsy nature and his eagerness to reach his destination, he still found it hard to keep up with the two boys in front of him.

"Do ye mind slowing it down?" Betty asked between tired breaths.

"Yeah, I'm with Betty," the shorter and quieter of the two lads, Jack, agreed.

"Fine, ya pansies," the third boy, Oliver, said while cutting his pace in half. Betty and Jack quickly caught up and fell in stride. Betty glanced at Jack and tried to share a smile, but the boy quickly turned away.

"So, Ava really wants to meet me oot here? She said it just like thon?" Betty asked while strolling towards a boulder a few feet away. He took a seat on top of it and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Well, not just like thon," Oliver answered while plopping down against the base of a tree. Jack leaned against the Alder tree and crossed his arms. Oliver watched Betty's face begin to fall and then quickly laughed. "Her exact words were, "Would ya mind asking Betty to meet me in the woods for a walk?"

Betty shook his head and parted his lips in sheer joy. "I can't believe she wants to go for a dauner with me."

"Yeah, neither can I," Jack whispered while staring harshly at Oliver.

Betty glanced down at the watch on his wrist and then up at the cloudless sky. "We've been walking for nearly a quarter of an hour. Why is she meeting me this far oot?"

Jack stared questioningly at Oliver, who simply shrugged his shoulders. "Ya know how Ms. McLane is. If she spots ye two so much as holding hands on school grounds she'll take a ruler to yer arse."

Betty grinned and nodded. "I guess yer right. Besides, it is romantic oot here."

"Bloody hell," Oliver mumbled with an amused shake of his head.

"Look," Jack said while pushing himself away from the tree. "Maybe we've taken this far enough."

Oliver didn't miss a beat while rising to his feet. "Jack's right," he harshly agreed while narrowing his eyes at his friend. "I think this is where Ava said she'll meet ye," he went on while smiling at Betty. "And I'm guessing ye dinnae want the two of us tagging along."

"No, I reckon not," Betty agreed. He stood up as well and met Oliver's gaze. "Listen…thanks for doing this. I, uh," Betty rubbed the back of his neck. "I didnae think ye lads even liked me. Let alone that Ava did."

Oliver placed a hand on Betty's shoulder. "Dinnae worry about it. Trust us, this wee adventure just made our afternoon." Oliver pulled his hand away, took a few steps back towards the forest's path, and motioned for Jack to follow. "C'mon, mate. Let's go grab a fizzy drink."

Jack let his eyes dart between Oliver and Betty a few times before sighing and heading back towards the forest's edge. Betty watched them go, sat back down, and leaned against the boulder in a vain attempt to get comfortable. "Any second now, I just might be holding Ava's hand," he dreamily whispered while watching his friends disappear.

He kept watching as their footsteps slowly faded away and a few dainty clouds rolled through the sky. He kept his eyes fixed on the turn in the path where he'd lost sight of Jack and Oliver, forever expecting to see Ava's black pigtail or gap-toothed smile round the bend. Every snap of a twig or brush of some leaves in the wind sent his gaze snapping around, hoping that Ava would somehow be the source of the noise. Every bout of hope brought nothing but new disappointment. As the sun began its steady dip towards the horizon, Betty finally hung his head and admitted the truth.

"I should have known," he admitted while tracing his hand along the ground. For a moment he simply sat there, lost in his own self-pity. Then he sighed and rose to his feet. A glance at his watch showed it was nearing 4:30. Betty glanced back at the path Jack and Oliver before gritting his teeth. There was still two hours before sunset and Betty would be damned if he was going to let those boys win by ending the day miserable.

It only took five minutes to hike to the enormous boulder that Betty usually frequented. Most of his afternoons were spent in these woods, the lone boundary between his primary school and Loch Ness. As such, Betty always kept a stash of supplies for his daily outings. Betty climbed the three-meter rock and took a seat on its edge. With such a view, he could see the waters of Loch Ness through the trees.

In spite of the events that had led him here, Betty's lips curled into a smile. He pushed aside a long, flat rock resting beside him and stared down into the crevice it had concealed. Inside rested everything Betty needed for his adventures. Betty grabbed his fishing pole, a small hunting knife, and a thermos of water. Once they were in his grasp, he scaled down the rock and hopped onto the soft earth below.

With a fishing rod resting against his shoulder, Betty attached the knife and its sheath to his right hip. He stared up at the still blazing sun and smiled once more. "I just might have time to catch a couple of pike for dinner," he mumbled to himself while climbing over a fallen log and heading towards the loch.

He'd barely taken another two steps when a pained, guttural cry rang out. Betty's back arched and his eyes widened at the sound. A dozen birds, previously unseen amidst the thick woods, cawed out in surprised and flew from their trees. As they rose into the sky and streaked across the clouds, the primal cry shrieked out once more.

Betty had never before heard such a sound. It seemed completely alien to him; a mixture of human and feral agony that chilled him to his core. "Hello?" he shouted back. "Is someone there?"

There was a moment of near silence. By straining his ears, Betty thought he could make out the sound of something dragging itself through the underbrush far away. He'd already decided to go investigate, but the chilling cry filling the forest for a third time gave his decision new weight. He dropped his fishing pole to the ground and ran to his right.

Thin branches swatted his skin as fallen logs threatened his balance. Nature was trying to slow him down, but the alien cries were peaking in intensity and frequency. Betty knew he was coming to the source of the noise, but that one last cry, so desperate, hurt, and very close, froze him in place. His ears told him he had arrived at the noise's source.

Betty scanned the area but saw nothing. He opened his mouth to call out, but a tiny whimpering reached his ears first. The voice was the same that had created those agonizing roars, but it was now so quiet and fearful. Betty heard the sound from below and dropped to his knees. He stared in shock at a tall patch of ferns. Swallowing hard to gather his strength, he pushed the leaves aside.

The sight of the creature before him sent the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. Betty had lived his whole life along Loch Ness and spent most of his free moments exploring all it had to offer. Yet in all his years he had never before seen a seal. As he stared at the rubbery skin and enormous black eyes, there was no doubt of what lay before him.

Such amazement rapidly gave way to horror as Betty realized why the creature had been crying. The animal lifted its right flipper out from a patch of branches and whimpered in pain. Betty realized that a thick branch half the size of his arm was stuck straight through the flipper.

Betty had caught and gutted hundreds of fish. He'd dealt with dozens of torn knees and even a broken bone from his time in the woods. But the sight of blood on this creature, of the unmistakable pain in its soulful eyes, sent his head turning away and his stomach lurching. "Bloody hell," he mumbled as the seal let out another whimper.

Betty swallowed his fear at the sound and looked back at the seal. It was over a meter long but still seemed young. Betty licked his lips and reached out. "It's okay. Easy."

To Betty's surprise, the seal quieted down and went still. Betty gave it a calming nod and slowly reached out towards its flipper. "What are ye even doing here, mate? Who ever heard of a seal on Loch Ness?"

The animal moaned quietly as Betty gently grabbed the creature's limb and examined the wound. Then he looked into the animal's eyes. "I'm going to try something." He applied a little pressure a few centimeters away from the wound. The animal whimpered a little but didn't struggle. "That's good," Betty quietly assured. "I dinnae think you've broken anything."

"Aw-roo?" the seal moaned.

"What do we do?" Betty whispered while closing his eyes and thinking through his options. He settled on a course of action that he knew was unpleasant, but he could think of no alternative. Betty's right hand grasped his knife and slid it out of its sheath.

The seal ripped its flipper out of Betty's grasp and struggled to back away. "Stop," Betty urged while gripping the weapon tight and reaching out towards the wailing animal. The branch kept smacking against the ground, and Betty could tell it was causing the seal immense pain.

The animal's fear, mixed with the pain from its thrashing, was sending it over the edge. It moved more desperately, backing into a rock and awkwardly flipping over. Betty grit his teeth and realized this was the best chance he had to end the animal's suffering.

"I hope this doesn't hurt," Betty pleaded while taking a large step forward. He reached out, and with more fluidity than he had hoped for, grabbed onto the stick and yanked it as hard as he could. The branch slipped free of the wound and left a bubbling trail of blood in its wake.

As soon as the branch was clear, Betty stripped out of his shirt. He placed it under one of his feet, used his left hand to pull it taut, and then sliced it in half with the knife.

The frenzied cries slowly faded away as the seal watched Betty. Once the shirt was cut in two, the boy grabbed his thermos and twisted it open. "Let's get this done fast," Betty urged the animal. He was amazed to see the creature lift its injured flipper towards him. Betty managed a nervous smile and started pouring water over the wound.

Sensing a calmness wash over them, Betty was able to focus on his task. Getting a good look at the injury before him helped in leveling his head. There was a steady stream of red liquid coming from the jagged hole the branch had left, but it seemed manageable.

Betty used one half of his shirt to wipe the flipper clean. The animal started to whimper and cringe, but it didn't pull away. "I know, but you've got to get it clean. Ye dinnae want it to make you sick."

Once all traces of dirt were washed away, Betty laid the rest of his shirt over his knees. He straightened it out and carefully laid the fabric over the flipper.

"Ah…ooo?" the seal croaked as Betty tied a makeshift bandage.

"Too tight?" Betty quickly asked. The seal met his gaze but made no sound. "Can you move it?" The animal kept its gaze fixed on Betty and made no move except to cock its head. Betty lifted up his right arm and started flopping it in the air. Then he motioned at the seal. The animal blinked twice and then raised its injured flipper.

"Yes!" Betty excitedly shouted. "Can ye move it?" He flopped his arm around once more, and this time the animal mimicked his movement. Betty laughed in relief, and the seal let out two excited yelps.

Betty cracked a smile but kept a careful eye on his work. A slow puddle of red was starting to collect, but after a moment it seemed to slow. "Can you move? Walk?" Betty hesitated and shook his head. "Or however it is you move on land?"

The seal went still and then moved its injured flipper forward. The animal struggled a little and whimpered as it touched ground, but managed to keep its footing. It used its healthy flipper to pull itself forward.

"Roo!" It slapped its healthy flipper against the ground and arched its head straight up. "Ah-ooo!" it excitedly screamed.

Betty finally leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll take it that's a good sign."

The seal howled one more time before rolling onto its back. It let out a heavy sigh which earned a chuckle from Betty. The boy scooted closer to the animal and started rubbing its stomach, which earned a satisfied **coo** in return.

"Guess I should be thanking ye," Betty said with a pleased shake of his head. "My afternoon was of a bust. But it's not every day ye get to perform surgery on a seal."

"Uh-bar," the animal agreed.

"I'm guessing I should get ye back to the water. You must have a family out there, right?"

The seal rolled back over onto its stomach and glanced towards the forest's edge. Its face sank and it let out a low moan. It tried to pull itself forward, but Betty could tell it was a struggle just to move a single meter.

"Oh boy," Betty mumbled while seeing how far it was to the shore of Loch Ness.

* * *

Betty considered himself strong, but lugging a twenty kilo seal half a kilometer through a thick forest brought him past his limit. When he finally reached the rocky shore, he fell to his knees just at the border of land and water.

"Ow," Betty gasped while setting the seal down. "I," he swallowed hard and laid his sweaty back down on the rocks, "I'm dying, seal."

"Boh-roh!" the creature quietly whimpered while struggling to pull itself up to Betty's face.

Betty took in slow, deep breaths while staring up at the setting sun. The animal mirrored his position, lying flat on its back and looking up at the sky. They stayed like this, still and silent, until the suns' rays disappeared and darkness was cast over them.

"We should go," Betty finally whispered. He lifted his aching back and looked down at his new friend. "Me maw will be worrying soon, and I'm guessing yours is as well." The animal lowered its head and whimpered quietly. "Thanks for saving me afternoon," Betty sincerely said while patting the animal on its head. "And for helping me get in even better shape," he joked.

As Betty pulled his hand away, the seal arched its back and gave his palm a gentle lick. Betty smiled, gave the pup one more pat on the head, and then rose to his feet. "I dinnae know how ye got here, mate," he quietly said, "but I'm glad ye did. Get better, okay?"

The seal looked into his eyes, let out a gentle cry, and then pulled himself into the water. Betty watched the creature disappear beneath the gentle waves. Once it had fully disappeared, Betty spun around and headed home.

* * *

For a full week, Betty spent every minute of his afternoons in the woods and along the shore of Loch Ness. He always started by heading to the exact spot where he had discovered the seal. Then he would follow the path of broken branches and kicked over rocks he had left while carrying the creature. Betty would finish by sitting at the spot he had left the animal and fishing until the sun set.

For a week he found nothing, no new trace of the creature. As the seventh day drew to a close, Betty found himself sitting a dozen meters from where he had released his friend. He was sitting on a log on top of a small hill, his fishing line cast out into the water below. A glance up at the setting sun told him it was time to pack it in.

He stared out at the water for a long moment and then let out a pained sigh. "Okay," he whispered while reeling in his line. "It's been a week. Time to move on." His fingers slowly spun the reel, and its steady **clickclickclick** spoke back to him. "It was stupid anyway," Betty mumbled while rising to his feet.

"Ar-rah-rah-rah!" the seal roared while popping its head out of the water.

"Bloody blimey!" Betty shrieked while tumbling over the log and falling onto his back.

"Ah-roo, ah-roo, ah-roo." Betty narrowed his eyes, certain that the animal was laughing at him. Then he took in a deep breath and smiled.

"I wasn't calling ye stupid," he muttered while dropping his fishing rod and rising to his feet. His grin widened as he saw the creature head towards the shore and recognized the bandage on its flipper. "I meant waiting for ye was. Although it apparently wasn't."

The seal opened its mouth and seemed to smile as it crossed onto land. Betty was relieved to see it crawling much more smoothly than the last time they had met.

"Where the heck have ye been, anyway?" Betty asked while crouched down and holding out his hand. The seal didn't hesitate to rub his head against Betty's palm, and the boy was quick to return the favor. "I guess it doesn't matter," Betty mumbled while sitting back on his log.

They both sat there for a few moments, enjoying each other's company as the sun dipped further below the horizon. Then Betty glanced down at the shirt around the flipper. Its tattered remains had long ago been washed of its blood. "Alright," Betty gently began while rubbing the seal's head and dragging his hand towards the wound. "Let's see if I've got a future as a vet."

The seal began to whimper quietly but made no attempt to stop Betty as he undid the remnants of the bandage. Betty barely had to pull on the fabric to pry it loose, and it fell onto the ground to reveal an ugly, but uninfected, scar.

"Good news," Betty began with a breath of relief, "it looks good."

"Gah-uh?" the seal inquired.

Betty started applying pressure around the area, but it didn't seem to do much except annoy the seal. "It doesn't look infected, and you're taking the pain better than last I saw ye. I'd say yer going to be fine."

Betty patted the flipper twice, placed it back on the ground, and looked up at the rapidly darkening sky. "I've got get going," he sadly explained. "Me maw hates it when I'm oot past dark."

The seal hung its head and swatted a pebble away with its good flipper.

Betty knelt down and cross his arms over one knee. "I was oot here every day, so don't go making a fuss like I'm the bad guy." Betty offered a kind smile and asked, "Will ye be around again?"

The seal happily barked and lifted its neck up and down.

"Good," Betty quietly said while standing back up. "Then I'll see ye around…" Betty let his voice trail off and then cocked his head. "If we're going to be spending time together, ye really need a name. Ye, uh, ye are a mate, right?"

The seal cocked its head in the same direction as Betty.

"Or are ye a lass?"

The seal began to growl and pounded its hind flipper against the shore.

"Okay, a lad ye are." Betty tried to think of a good name. Two helpful thoughts crossed his mind. The first was where exactly he was. The second was Jack and Oliver, and the reason Betty found it so hard to get along with the kid at school. "I think I've got it."

"Ooo?"

"Nessie," Betty excitedly offered with a wide smile. He barely had time to blink before a pebble slammed into his forehead.

"Ah-roo, ah-roo, ah-roo."

Betty rubbed his temple and glared at the creature. "How did ye even pick that up? And just for that the name's sticking." Betty dodged his head to the left as another small rock flew past. "Look, just give me this, okay? I," Betty swallowed hard and exhaled slowly, "Let's be the only two mates in Foyers with a girl's name. It'll make us brothers."

Betty expected another pebble to sail through the air, but none came. The seal stared hard into his eyes, but lowered its head in submission. "So you're Nessie then?"

"Roo," the animal quietly grumbled.

Betty chuckled and nodded. "And I'm Betty."

* * *

Betty felt the sweat pooling on his forehead as he rowed his arms one last time. In spite of his fatigue, the oars cut through the water with ease. As his boat lurched forward to the dead center of Loch Ness, Betty let go of the paddles and swiped a wrist over his damp brow.

"I think that's good," he said while reaching under his tiny wooden seat and grabbing a bottle of fizzy drink.

"Rah-rep," Nessie voiced his agreement while swimming a slow circle around the tiny boat.

Betty pried off the bottle cap with his knife and took a deep swig of the drink. Once he'd quenched his thirst, he sat down on the boat's floor and leaned his back against the seat behind him. His fingers tapped against the bottle as he stared straight ahead at the clear water.

Betty's thoughts were interrupted as Nessie hopped into the boat. He gave the vessel a good look over and then started happily writhing around on the floor.

"It's definitely small," Betty said with a smile, "but she's a beaut."

"Goo-ruh," Nessie chimed in while ceasing his thrashing and lying on his stomach across from Betty.

"I can't believe he actually made this for me," Betty said with a shake of his head. "I always knew Paw was handy with his tools, but this must have taken months to make."

Nessie kept quiet while pulling himself towards Betty. He gave the back of the boy's hand a few licks and then rested his head atop it. "Hah-ruh," Nessie sincerely offered.

"Thanks," Betty managed a tiny grin. "Best birthday I've ever had."

Nessie didn't move his head but pointed his eyes straight into Betty's.

Betty bit his lower lip and then took another swig of his drink. "Do ye remember the day we met? Well, the weekend before that one of the guys in me class had a birthday party. Everyone in our grade, even a bunch of kids in some of the others, were invited." Betty set his bottle down and picked up his fishing rod. He slipped a wriggling worm on the hook and cast the line into Loch Ness. "I wasn't."

Nessie had kept his gaze throughout the short tale, but he dropped his eyes at this.

"Sometimes I act like I don't care," Betty admitted with a shrug. Then he patted Nessie on the head and went on with, "And I'm definitely glad I have you."

"Mowwww," Nessie happily murmured.

"But sometimes I wonder would it be like to live somewhere else." Nessie perked his head up, but Betty didn't notice. "Somewhere with more than fifty people in my entire school. A place that I haven't already explored every inch of. Some place where I can," Betty squeezed his hands into fists and sighed, "where I can walk around town and meet other kids who don't already hate me."

Nessie let out a nervous moan.

Betty glanced back down and resumed petting the seal. "Don't worry, mate. I have to stick with me parents, and they're staying right here. I'm not like ye." Betty glanced at the northern end of the loch and added, "I can't just take the River Ness to the Atlantic and swim all over the world."

"Guh-ruh," Nessie protested with a huff.

"Why don't I ever see yer family, anyway? Why do they stay at that end of the loch?"

Nessie mimicked holding a fish with his flippers and chomping on it.

"Ah," Betty said in understanding. "More fish." Nessie nodded in agreement and then laid back down. Betty tapped his fingers against the bottle in his hands and then asked, "Ye all will be staying a long time, right? I mean…you're not going back to the ocean anytime soon?"

Nessie immediately jumped overboard and came back a few seconds later with a giant fish in her jaws. He swallowed it in a single gulp and then shook his head.

"Glad to hear it," Betty said in relief.

Nessie rested his head on Betty's feet and closed his eyes.

Betty used his free hand to take the last sip of his drink. "Thanks for the birthday, Nes."

Nessie let out a contented huff as the boat swayed back and forth on the water.

* * *

"Cannonball!" a shirtless Betty excitedly shouted while jumping off a hill and plummeting towards the water below. The sense of free-fall lasted only a moment, and then Betty found himself sinking under Loch Ness. He opened his eyes and found Nessie swimming not a meter away. They both made a break for the surface and gasped for air.

"Whoooooo!" Betty let out a primal roar of sheer ecstasy as he beat a fist against his chest.

Nessie couldn't help but share his friend's enthusiasm. "Argh-argh-argh!" he barked.

Betty laughed crazily, flipped over, and started slowly backstroking. "I can't even process it," Betty said with a blissful chuckle. "Summer's finally here. Do you have any idea what that means, Nes?"

Nessie emerged from under the water with a fish in his mouth. In a single motion he tossed the creature in the air and swallowed it whole. "Oo-ar?"

Betty closed his eyes, rested his hands on his chest, and floated motionlessly by. "It means no more homework. No more spending half of every day in a classroom. No more being stuck with those idiots instead of with ye. It means," Betty opened his eyes and turned to Nessie, "it means this is going to be the best summer of our lives."

Betty narrowed his eyes as he noticed a small rowboat in the distance. "Oh no," Betty muttered as he realized that it was Jack and Oliver.

"Loser!" Oliver happily shouted while rowing past Betty.

"Dude, come on. It's summer," Jack said with a shake of his head.

Betty angrily watched the boat go by. "Someone needs to teach that jerk a lesson."

"Ruh-vaw," Nessie muttered in agreement while swimming around Betty.

Betty faced his friend and let a slow smile spread across his lips as he formed an idea. "Hey, Nessie? Do ye think your family might be interested in doing me a favor?"

* * *

Betty couldn't keep the grin off his face as he sat across from Oliver in his rowboat. He rowed them across the loch as fast as he could while Oliver stared at him pitifully.

"Ye ken, at first I couldn't believe that ye asked me to gang on a boat ride with ye," Oliver said with an amused shake of his head.

"Uh huh," Betty absent-mindedly answered while glancing over his shoulder. He saw Nessie peek his eyes above the surface and then slip back under the water.

"But then I realized," Oliver went on, "that it actually was possible ye were that pathetic."

Betty's smile faded as he spun back around in his seat. "Sure."

"I mean, who but Betty would misinterpret my constant emotional tormenting for a sign of friendship? Honestly, do ye know anyone else that stupid?"

Betty narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I was going to try to drag this oot a wee bit longer, but yer making me want to get it over with."

"Get what over with?" Oliver asked. "Your stupidity? Because that's not going to happen anytime soon!"

Betty sat silently in the boat for a long moment before taking in a deep breath. "Okay, yeah, I'm gaunnae rush through this. Do ye believe in the Loch Ness monster?"

"Of course I don't," Oliver said with a pitiful chuckle. "Only a loser like ye would -"

"Okay that's great," Betty spat the words out in half a second. "I bet ye'd feel so foolish if the monster showed up right now."

"Yeah, but not as foolish as ye feel every second -" Betty sighed in relief as Oliver was interrupted by a terrifying roar. His eyes tripled in size as he jumped in his seat. "What in the bloody hell was that?"

"Oh no," Betty deadpanned, "it must be Nessie."

"No way," Oliver said in between shaky breaths. "Nessie is just a…" Oliver's voice trailed off and his jaw dropped as he noticed a tiny figure a hundred meters away. The curved body and long neck could only mean one thing to Oliver. "It's the bloody monster!" he squeaked while pointing at the shape.

"Dear god," Betty monotonously went on, even though his smile was returning, "it is."

Oliver's shaking intensified as an enormous patch of swirling water made its way towards the boat. Much to Betty's delight, tears began to fill the bully's eyes. Squeaky as a mouse, Oliver cried out, "I don't want to die!"

"Oh, I think you're going to die," Betty said with a chuckle. He noticed the swirling patch of water approach the boat and held his breath.

"Mommy!" Oliver screamed as an enormous impact from underneath the boat sent the entire vessel tipping over. He and Betty tumbled into the water. The sight of Betty being grabbed by the back of his shirt and pulled beneath the swirling waves broke Oliver completely and sent him swimming the kilometer to shore, blubbering all the while.

Betty held his breath for thirty seconds and then broke the surface. He swam the few meters to his overturned boat, grabbed ahold of it, and watched Oliver struggle to make it to shore. Nessie popped up beside him, and Betty smiled at his friend.

"Yep. Best summer ever."

* * *

Thirteen year-old Betty Wilson stood with his arms crossed, a confident half-smile plastered on his face. "I'm tellin' ya, Captain Kerr, ye won't regret this."

The man scrunched his wrinkled face as he sat behind his cluttered desk. "Look," he began after a long moment, "you're a good kid, Wilson. But I don't exactly need an employee. I only have a single boat and I don't have more than a few tourists at a time to take out."

Betty had prepared for this, of course. "If ye taught me how to captain that vessel, I could take out the tourists and teach 'em to fish while you handle the business end here. You could handle the business end of things, maybe offer guided hikes or strolls around the loch. No matter what you do, wouldn't that time be worth the half dozen pounds a day I'd be paid?"

Kerr let out a hearty chuckle while crossing his arms behind his head. "I admire yer gusto, Betty. But those tourists pay to fish with an experienced captain, not a bairn. There's no way you could take them out on the loch yerself."

The flat side of Betty's lips curled up. "I thought ye might say that. Mind if I gave an…audition, let's say?"

Betty looked towards the tiny shack's door. Kerr sighed and rose to his feet. "Fine. But make it quick, Betty."

Betty led the old man outside and down the short dock to the water's edge. He cleared his throat loudly and explained, "You see, Cap'n Kerr, I'm kind of a, how should I say, Loch Whisperer."

Kerr blinked twice. "A what?"

"I've got a deep connection with the Loch, Cap'n. I can basically control anything in it."

Kerr pinched his thumb and index finger together before rubbing his temple. "Am I gonna have to tell yer parents that ye've been smoking something?"

"I'll make you a deal," Betty pressed. "If I can control…oh, I don't know," Betty deadpanned while rubbing his chin, "a seal from this Loch, you'll give me the job. But if I can't, then I'll go on my way."

"Fine. Now hurry. I've got paperwork to do."

Betty turned around and tried to hide his smile. "Ahem," he coughed, "I am using my connection with Loch Ness to command a seal to rise to the surface!"

No sooner had Betty finished speaking than a two-meter long Nessie broke the surface and happily barked. Captain Kerr's eyes bugged as he reeled back in shock. "How did ye -" he started to shout, but Betty interrupted.

"Strange seal that I've never met, would you please grab a fish for my friend?"

"Argh-argh!" Nessie obediently answered before diving back under the water. It only took a few seconds for him to return with a wriggling pike in his jaw. He tossed the squirming fish next to Captain Kerr's feet, dove back under the water, and swam away.

Betty turned back around and smiled triumphantly at Captain Kerr. "So?"

Kerr shook his head hard and brought a hand to his open mouth. "You're hired."

* * *

Betty scratched the budding hairs on his lip as he piloted the tiny boat towards the dock. "I certainly thank ye for choosing Captain Kerr's Fishing Tours. Enjoy your catches, and I hope ye'll choose us again if ye return to Loch Ness."

A moment later Betty was helping his three passengers step onto the dock and heading towards his boss' office. "All set, Cap'n," he said while opening the door and strolling inside. "Went off without a hitch."

"Glad to hear it," Kerr answered while staring down at an open notebook. Betty tossed the boat's keys onto the desk, and they **clanked **down in front of Kerr. "I've been crunching the numbers. If we keep going at this rate, the second boat will pay for itself in just a couple years." He glanced up at Betty and offered a smile. "It was a good idea, kid."

Betty opened up the office's fridge, shoved aside a few buckets of bait, and grabbed a bottle of fizzy drink. "I appreciate it," Betty answered while taking a seat opposite Kerr. Betty took a sip from the glass bottle and then asked, "Do you mind if a take the boat out for a couple hours tonight?"

Kerr set down his notebook and removed his reading glasses. "Why, ye got a date?" he asked with a sly smile.

Betty took another gulp of his fizzy drink and shook his head. "With who? All the girls around here are either taken or prefer someone who doesn't stink the classroom up with the smell of fish."

"There's always the tourists," Kerr countered. "I've seen a few of the young lasses give ye the look."

Betty shook his head and glanced out the office's window. "Maybe I'm just wise beyond me years, but there ain't no point in getting to know someone that'll run off the next day."

Kerr pushed the keys over to Betty and eyed the teen carefully. "Betty, I've been wanting to talk to ye about something." Betty set down his drink and eyed the captain carefully. "I'm getting on in years, and I'm starting to think about how I want to spend the time I've got left."

"You're not going anywhere for a while, boss," Betty interjected.

"I hope not," Kerr agreed. "But for the time I do have, do I want to spend it waking at four in the morning every day to shuttle around some doe-eyed tourists? Answering the same dozen questions from each new group? Having to go out no matter the weather when I'd rather stay in bed with a good book?"

"What are ye gettin' at?" Betty asked.

"I'm thinking about retiring," Kerr bluntly answered. "Not right now, of course. This would be in a few years. When someone I trust is old enough to run the business." Betty leaned forward and cocked his head a slight. "So what I'm getting at…is how'd you like to take over when I'm done with it?"

* * *

That night, under a full moon, Betty piloted Kerr's new boat around the Loch. He kept it under a couple knots, and Nessie happily swam beside the vessel. After an hour of quietly exploring the water, Betty cut the engine and leaned over the side of the ship.

"He wants me to take over," Betty spat out to Nessie below.

"Huh-ruh?" Nessie said while rolling over onto his back and staring at his friend.

"Not now, of course. When I turn eighteen. It's not for four more years." Betty whistled quietly and stared up at the moon. "He told me we'd hash out the details when I was a little order, but basically for a cut of the profits, he'll give me everything off the bat. The boats, the office, everything."

"Roh-roar!"

"Yeah, it's a bloody good offer," Betty agreed. "It's something I know how to do, and I do it well. There's always going to be tourists, and with our little 'loch whisperer' trick, no one will drive us out of business."

Nessie happily cooed while beginning to drift around the boat. Betty slowly walked around the tiny deck, following the seal. "I could stay here, driving around this Loch every day for the rest of my life." Betty felt the life drain out of his voice as he stopped pacing and rested his arms on the boat's siding.

"Oo-uh?" Nessie asked.

Betty bit his lip and shook his head. "I don't spend the rest of my life on this Loch…in this town," Betty explained. He glanced down at Nessie, who looked back up with sad eyes. "Going around and around in circle, the same thing every single day? Passing the same people on the way home? It's not," Betty squeezed the side of the boat, "that's not me."

"Noo-ruh?"

"Of course I love it here," Betty said with a sad smile. "It's the most beautiful place on Earth. I've spent nearly every day of me life on this water or out in those woods. But I know every inch of it. You could blindfold me, drop anywhere out there," he said while pointing at the forest along the shore, "and I could get home before the sun rises." He ground his teeth and looked back down at his friend. "There's nothing new for me here."

Nessie didn't respond, and Betty started pacing once more. "What about ye, mate? Do ye want to spend the rest of your life here? Diving for the same fish, sunbathing on the same shore? Or do ye want to head back up River Ness and explore the ocean? Go anywhere and do anything?" Betty waited a long moment, dropped his voice, and added, "Ye already told me yer family won't stick around here forever."

Neither Betty nor Nessie made a sound for a long time as they stared out over the water. Betty's gaze was settled on the waves breaking on the shore when he heard Nessie climb onto the boat. He dragged himself across the floor and rubbed his head against Betty's leg. Betty managed a smile and patted the top of Nessie's head.

"Don't worry, Ness. I've still got four years of school left. I'm not going anywhere for a long time."

* * *

Betty swore he could feel his heart slamming into his chest and his stomach twisting in knots as he breached the woods of Loch Ness. The cooler in his right hand painfully swung into his leg with each step, but he couldn't muster the energy to shift his arm even a few inches. His mind was a misty haze, its turbidity shrouding any semblance of a thought. His body was on autopilot, steadily heading towards the boulder where he still stashed his supplies after all the years.

Betty hadn't expected to find Nessie in the woods. His aquatic nature usually kept him to the loch and its shores; Betty was hoping to take a few minutes at his boulder to collect his thoughts. But perhaps because he running so late that Friday afternoon, Nessie had made the trek inland and was dozing at the foot of the boulder.

As soon as Betty spotted the seal, his eyes began to burn. Four years of memories came rushing back in an instant, bringing with them the sum joy of all those experiences. Such inconceivable elation sent a wide smile over Betty's lips, and that was enough to bring him to tears.

Nessie woke up to the sound of Betty crying and let out a pained moan. He hobbled to his friend as fast as he could.

"Hey, Nes," Betty managed to choke out while collapsing to the ground and running his hands through his hair.

"Oh-aw?" Nessie moaned while placing his head on Betty's lap.

Betty wiped his right arm over his eyes and took in a deep breath. "I brought you some presents, mate." Betty squeezed his right hand into a fist to stop its tremors, but such an effort was in vain. He opened the cooler with shaking hands.

Nessie cocked his head to the side and stared nervously at Betty.

"I've got some fish and chips from Habernacky's, a wee bit of haggis," Betty pulled the items out of his cooler and took a shaky breath, "and even some of that grape fizzy drink you like."

Betty laid the items out on the ground and rubbed Nessie's head. The seal anxiously sniffed each item but then looked back at Betty. "Nurrr?" he nervously asked.

Betty bit the inside of his cheek and closed his eyes. "I'm just going to say it, Ness. I have to leave."

Nessie pulled back but kept his gaze fixed on Betty. "Ruh?"

Betty rubbed his forehead and stared down at the ground. "My folks are moving. Turns out I wasn't the only one wishing for more to explore."

Nessie stared at Betty in horror.

"Ye ken I wanted to leave this place," Betty quietly explained. "To gang oot and explore the world." He scraped his fingers across the dirt and glanced down. "I just...thought we had more time."

Nessie moaned and rested his head on Betty's lap.

"Part of me wants to run away," Betty struggled to get out while slinging an arm over Nessie's neck and hugging him tight. "To live oot here in the woods with ye until I turn eighteen. Then just show up at Kerr's doorstep and take over the business."

Nessie blinked hard and stared up at his friend. "Hur?"

"But the other part of me," Betty swallowed hard and looked into Nessie's eyes. "It wants to go. It just," Betty looked away and whispered, "it wishes ye could come to."

* * *

In spite of the sorrow, Betty's lips curled upward as he headed past Foyers Primary School. Yes, his time there might have been spent as an outcast. But looking back, he couldn't deny that happy memories formed inside those walls; those rare moments when he and his classmates had shared excitement for a postponed test or a free Friday afternoon. Such memories deserved to be savored, so Betty gave the building a respectful nod before heading into the woods.

Nessie was waiting for him at his boulder. The giant seal, so different from the helpless creature Betty had rescued years before, perfectly mimicked a human smile as it saw Betty approach. Betty reflected the gesture, but neither man nor beast denied the sorrow behind the expression.

"Hey, Nes," Betty quietly began while strolling up to his friend. The burning in his eyes quickly surged, but he forced the tears away. Betty crouched down and rubbed the top of Nessie's head. "Finally the day, huh?"

Nessie raised and lowered its head in a nod.

Betty took a good look around the forest and then at the large boulder beside him. "Ye ken, I spent years exploring this place before I even met ye. But I didnae think of any of those times on me way oot here. The only thing I kept replaying was the day we met."

Nessie raised his left flipper into the air, and Betty grabbed a hold of it, running his fingers along the jagged scar. Betty took a deep breath and admitted that which came easily. "It was the best day of me life."

A part of Betty wanted to stay there for hours with his friend, but he knew his parents were waiting. He also understood that every second spent with Nessie would make it harder to ultimately pull away. So Betty patted the seal on the head and climbed to the top of his boulder. He shoved the flat rock aside and pulled out the few trinkets beneath. With his knife, thermos, and fishing rod firmly in his grasp, he climbed back down and approached Nessie for the final time.

"We're both going to live our lives," Betty began while dropping the items to the ground, kneeling down, and placing a hand atop Nessie's head. "I'm going to go to America. Then when I'm done school, I'm going to work on boats all over the world. And ye? Yeand your family are going to take River Ness back out to the Atlantic. You're going to swim across the ocean," Betty swiped a wrist over his eyes as Nessie moaned, "and you're going to taste exotic fish and swim with the whales."

Betty glanced away and took a deep breath. "There's no way for me to find ye oot there. But we'll see each other again."

"Roo?" Nessie shakily asked.

Betty nodded. "When ye get old, when its getting harder to brave the ocean's currents and catch your meals, ye should come back here. The fishing's easy, the water's gentle, and there's no more beautiful place to live out yer days."

Nessie looked into Betty's eyes and nodded his head.

"And when I'm done what I set oot to do, when I'm sure ye'll be resting oot here on Loch Ness, I'll come back too. And I swear to God I'll find ye."

Nessie moaned and rested his head on Betty's lap. "It's okay," Betty assured his friend. "We'll both live the lives we were always mean to lead. But on top of that?" Betty managed a smile as Nessie lifted his gaze back up. "We'll have the memories of the years we had. What more could we ask for?"

Nessie licked Betty's hand as the boy rose to his feet. "I love you, Nessie. And I'll see ye again." In spite of the pain in Nessie's eyes, he gave Betty a nod and a smile. The two shared one last silent goodbye, and then Betty picked up his things and walked away.


	8. Memories

The surprisingly intact hull of the **M.V. Finlay** rested half in the clear waters of Loch Ness and half on its rocky shore. Jimmy, Cindy, Daniel, and Erin stood five meters before it. All four of their necks were craned as they stared up at the wheelhouse's broken window that Jimmy had smashed through. Slowly, the three other kids glanced at Erin and waited for her to speak.

"Windows are not cheap," she mumbled through clenched teeth. Her arms were crossed and her nails dug into her skin.

"Neither are hospitals," Jimmy moaned while rubbing his aching temple.

"They are in every other country," Erin angrily whispered while rolling her eyes in disdain. Cindy narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to snap at the girl, but Erin raised her hand to ward off Cindy's words. "Hold yer tongue, Blondie."

Cindy's eyes widened in shock and Daniel grinned as Erin finally took her eyes off the ship. With a sigh, she said, "I was expecting to find this ship in pieces." She then glanced at the welt on Jimmy's head and let her voice drop. "And I was praying that I wouldn't find ye all thon way." She faced Cindy once more and offered a nod of approval. "Ye did good. Damn good."

Cindy opened her mouth to say thanks, but Erin turned back to the ship and stepped towards its hull. She ran her hands over the metal and gave herself a nod. "I'll want to get it looked over, but it'll get us back hame. Dan, help me get 'er ready."

"Looks like we won't be swimming back," Dan offered while clapping his hands excitedly and following Erin on board.

Jimmy reflexively shivered at the thought of going back into the water. "Let's fill the others in," he told Cindy. The two spun around and headed back towards the forest. Carl, Sheen, Libby, Timothy, Betty, and the seals were lounging on the sand bordering the woods.

"Is she ready to set sail?" the captain asked.

"She said it's seaworthy," Jimmy confirmed. "Thanks to Cindy's driving."

Cindy's lips began to curl up, but they reversed direction once she locked eyes with Nessie. "And no thanks to our new friends."

Guilt filled Nessie's dark eyes as he lowered his head onto the sand. Cap'n Betty patted the seal and glared at Cindy. "There's no need to be rude, lass."

"Actually," Libby interrupted while rising off of the ground and standing by Cindy's side, "there kind of is. Why did those seals attack us anyway?"

"Thank you!" Timothy shouted while throwing his arms into the air and climbing to his feet. "I have been trying for days to get him to explain why the seals attacked us."

"It's very simple," Cap'n Betty tiredly explained.

Everyone stared hard at Betty for half a minute.

"Oh, I get it," Sheen said with a wide smile.

Cindy shook her head and narrowed her eyes in disgust. Cap'n Betty spotted the anger in his audience's eyes and sighed while facing Timothy. "Ol' Ness was just excited to see me is all. He always did get a wee bit rambunctious when excited."

"Ah-roo, ah-roo," Nessie happily agreed.

"Well what about us?" Carl asked. "Why did the seals kidnap me?"

"Well isn't it obvious?" Betty shot back. "With you scouring the loch inch by inch in that crazy hover car, Nessie and his pod didn't know what to make of ye! They just knocked you in the water to make sure you weren't up to no good."

"But they stole me," Carl whispered while staring at the ground.

"They were just helping you get to shore," Betty explained.

Jimmy and Cindy shared a skeptical glance. "And the **second** time they attacked?" Jimmy tiredly asked.

Betty pointed an angry finger the boy's way. "Now that time the seals were just coming to say hello and bring you to your friend. They didn't attack until you fired that cannon."

Sheen crossed his arms and glared at Jimmy. "Really it was your fault," the manic boy agreed.

Cindy lunged at Sheen, but Libby and Jimmy reeled her back. The sound of a boat's engine gave them pause, and they all turned around to see Daniel climbing back onto the beach.

"She's ready to go," he told the group. "What do ye say we get back to land and finish our little meeting at the pub?"

Timothy wearily smiled and eagerly approached the boat. "I'm in. It's been four days since I've eaten something other than fish."

* * *

No one noticed Timothy's face fall as Daniel thrust a steaming plate of salmon in front of him. "Sorry," Dan said to the group, "but Paw's outta the haggis."

Libby and Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief as Carl wiped a tear from his eye. Dan chuckled at their reaction while passing the rest of the group's meals around the pub's largest table.

"Did yer auld man give ye trouble for going missing last night?" Erin asked while shoving a spoonful of Cullen skink into her mouth.

Dan placed an enormous plate of fish heads onto the floor and stepped over the dozens of seals that rushed to their lunch. "A wee bit," Dan answered while taking the seat beside his friend and across from Cindy. "But considering we rescued some lost sailors and I nearly drowned, he let me off easy."

"Glad to hear it," Cindy happily offered. "I'd hate to think we got you grounded."

Erin rolled her eyes while none too subtly grabbing Betty's pint of beer. "Yeah, that'd be much worse than breaking me boat's window or making me miss a day's pay."

"About all that," Betty chimed in while wrestling his drink away from Erin. "I never meant for me reunion with Ness to cause so much trouble. I want to make things right."

Erin crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. "I'll take cash or a check. No credit cards."

Betty let out a deep belly laugh that went on a hair too long. Sheen smiled widely while watching the captain as Timothy timidly grabbed a spoonful of Erin's soup. "Aw, now that was a thrill," Betty said while wiping a tear from his eye. "I meant that I can help make up for lost business. Now that Ness has made this loch his retirement home, I'm sure he wouldn't mind lending out his pod for a few hours a day."

Betty stared down at his friend, who scarfed down a salmon head in a single gulp. Once the animal had swallowed, he offered Betty a nod.

Daniel shot an eager smile Erin's way. "Having some monster sightings would be good for business, Erin."

Erin closed her eyes and considered the offer. "I could snap some pictures of those wakes they make or of themselves at a distance. Sell them as souvenirs." She rubbed her chin and hesitantly offered a tiny smile. "I guess it'll do."

Jimmy pulled his hypercube out of his pocket and reached inside. "We'll help out too," he offered while pulling out his sonar device. "This is more powerful than whatever you have on your boat now."

Erin raised an eyebrow but accepted the gift. "Basic fish finders can run hundreds."

Jimmy shrugged. "I can make a new one in a few hours."

Erin huffed in amusement but offered James a grin as well. "Well thanks, mate. And I guess there's no price on the adventure we had."

Daniel happily nodded while taking a sip from his root beer. "I'd say the past twenty-four hours have been the craziest of our lives."

"Really?" Libby asked with a cock of her head. "That was basically just a Monday for us."

"Par for the course," Sheen agreed.

* * *

Two hours later, a stack of empty plates and drained glasses cluttered the center of the table. Cap'n Betty leaned back in his seat, rested a hand on his full belly, and took a look at the group around him. Carl sat licking his fingers after finishing his Clootie Dumpling. Libby was discussing the life of a fisherman with Timothy. Sheen sat on the floor while struggling to pet thirty seals at once. Daniel, Erin, Jimmy, and Cindy were in the middle of a heated conversation.

"Naw, naw, naw," Erin protested with a light laugh. "Y'all are definitely havering. There's naw way yer telling the truth on this yin."

"I'm with Erin on thon," Dan agreed while shaking his head at Cindy. "Ye couldn't hae all flew into space and rescued yer parents from aliens."

"We absolutely did," Cindy protested while taking the last sip of her second glass of root beer.

"I think it was our toughest adventure," Jimmy explained. He stared at Cindy out of the corner of his eye and heard his voice drop. "There was one point where I didn't think we were going to make it." He saw Cindy turn to face him, but he kept his gaze on his new friends and gave a sad smile. "But…a good friend brought me back."

A gentle smile overtook Cindy's lips as Jimmy leaned back. Erin shook her head in amusement and offered, "Well, here's hoping ye dinnae face any kidnapped parents again anytime soon."

Dan watched Cindy stare at Jimmy a couple seconds longer before facing him. She gave him a smile as well, and Dan rose to his feet. He started grabbing plates and glasses. "Cindy, would ye mind helping me bring these to the scullery?"

"Sure," Cindy agreed while grabbing the dirty dishes and following Daniel into the kitchen.

Once they had both dropped their dishes in the sink, Dan bit his lip. "Dae ye mind if I ask you something a wee bit…personal?"

Cindy crossed her arms but showed him no malice. "Considering you helped save our friend, I'd say you can ask me anything you want."

Dan gave a nervous nod and took in a deep breath. "I don't want to tread on ye or overstep me bounds, but…do you like him?" Cindy's face fell, and Dan shoved both hands into his pockets. "James?"

Cindy felt her head begin to pound as she considered the question that had plagued her for years. "I, uh," her voice trailed off as she turned around and eyed Jimmy out the kitchen window. He was rubbing his temple and assuring Erin and Libby that he was fine. True concern bubbled in her stomach, and she realized the answer was obvious. The question was whether she should share it with Daniel. When she looked back into the boy's kind and curious eyes, she realized there was no reason to lie.

"I -"

"Actually," Dan interrupted, "ye dinnae need to tell me. But if ye do like him, and if ye two ever get together?" Dan offered Cindy a smile and touched her shoulder. "Make sure he treats ye right. Yer a right special lass, and I dinnae want ye to forget thon."

Cindy felt blood rush to her cheeks and offered Dan a warm smile. She grabbed the hand that rested on her shoulder, pulled it off, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You're special too, Dan." She released his hand and took a step back. "I'm glad we met."

An awkward silence hung into the air until Daniel clapped his hands together. "Well, noo thon we ken we're both special, shall we head back oot?"

"We shall," Cindy agreed.

Once they'd left the kitchen and retaken their seats, Timothy glanced at his watch and stood up. "This has been," he paused for a long moment and then glanced at Cap'n Betty, "an adventure. But me maw should be here any minute to pick me up. I should wait ootside or she might tear the restaurant apart trying to find me."

Jimmy snuck a peek at his own watch and gave himself a nod. "We should get going too. We're about ten hours past curfew."

Sheen jumped out of his seat, grabbed Jimmy's arm, and yanked it towards him. "And I've only got a few hours to make those Crêpe Suzettes!"

"Sheen," Carl began while shaking his head.

Sheen ignored Carl and faced Cap'n Betty. "Uncle Betty, are you going to fly back with us?"

Betty's face fell at the question as he glanced down at Nessie. The seal stared back at him sadly, but managed a nod. "Aye," Betty quietly said while turning back at the kids. "I think I will."

With that said, the group made its way out into the crisp afternoon. A shrill breeze shrieked across the Loch, and everyone instinctively stepped closer together to starve off the cold. True to his word, Timothy's mother made its way down the street within a few seconds. Cap'n Betty handed the lad his battered suitcase and held out his hand.

"I know this wasn't what you were expecting when you took the job," Betty began. Timothy was staring straight into his eyes with an expression the captain couldn't decipher. "And I'm right sorry that I worried yer maw. But," Betty sighed and cast a quick glance back at Nessie. "Life goes by so fast, lad. And forty or fifty years from now, I hope I gave you something you can look back on and remember fondly. Something that you can remember was crazy and scary, but worth experiencing. That's why I put out the ad."

Timothy stared hard at the man's eyes and then down at his outstretched hand. Slowly, he extended his right hand. "I won't forget it, that's for sure. Goodbye, Cap'n Betty." The two men shared a smile before Timothy stared out at the seven kids around him. He gave them a friendly nod, hugged his hysterical mother as she run out of her car, and then joined her inside as they drove away.

Jimmy turned to Betty after the car had disappeared. "If you're ready, Cap'n, I think we can get going too."

Betty felt his eyes begin to burn as he knelt down on one knee and grabbed Nessie's face in both his hands. Man and seal stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds before Betty pulled Nessie into a hug. Nessie patted the man's back with his flipper and rested his head on Betty's shoulder.

"It was everything I'd hoped," Betty whispered to his friend. "And it was worth the thirty-five year wait."

"Rooo," Nessie cooed while licking his friend's cheek and pulling back.

"You know, it's a funny thing," Betty said to the kids behind him as he kept his gaze on Nessie. "The friends you make when you're young? You may not see them every day once you get older. Heck, you might go decades without speaking. But even if that's the case, those people you meet as a kid turn you into who you are. Every lazy afternoon, every conversation, every crazy adventure. They all pile up and turn you into the man…" Betty turned around and eyed Libby, Cindy, and Erin, "or woman you'll be for the rest of your life."

For a few seconds, Betty's words hung in the air. Erin and Daniel shared a deep glance as Jimmy and his friends exchanged smiles. The boy genius realized that this might have been the first grin he had ever shared with Libby at the same time that Cindy quickly grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Well," Erin began to sum up, "I can't believe I mean this, but I think I'm sorry to see ye all gang."

"Me too," Sheen cried while wrapping Erin in a tight embrace.

"We'll be sure to come back," Libby promised while boarding the hover car. Erin shoved Sheen hard onto the ground as Cindy nodded.

"Maybe we can take a trip here during summer vacation," she offered.

"As long as we stay out of the water," Carl said with a shiver. His eyes lit up as added, "And you get more haggis!"

Erin rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I've never met an American so eager to eat sheep lung."

Terror filled Carl's eyes as his skin turned green. "What?"

"Come on, Carl!" Sheen shrieked while vaulting over the hover car's siding and landing in his seat.

Sheen and Cap'n Betty took their seats as Jimmy started the engine. Daniel smiled at the group and waved goodbye. "Well whatever ye eat, best o' luck on the ride home. And haste ye back."

As the kids shouted their goodbyes and the hover car rose into the sky, Cap'n Betty leaned back in his seat and stared at the pod of seals. His eyes stayed locked on the largest animal in the center, even as the creature shrunk to a mere pinpoint. Betty Wilson knew that the odds were he would never see Nessie again. The days they had just shared would be the last new memories they would ever form. But as Betty's mind replayed the years the two had shared, his eyes teared and his lips curled upwards at one simple realization.

Those memories were enough to last a lifetime.


End file.
